Raising the Bar: The Fresh Voices Project (2005)

Produced & Directed by: Marlene Millar and Philip Szporer
Camera: Zachary Fay, Marlene Millar and Philip Szporer
Editor: Nilton Almeida
Sound editor: Ariel Santana
Original Music: Nicolas Basque
Broadcaster: Bravo!/CTV

Produced with the support of: Bravo!, the Canada Dance Festival and the Banff Centre

Canada/2004/beta-cam/colour/48 min
Available on DVD, BTC SP, VHS

A documentary tracing the experiences of five Canadian contemporary-dance choreographers. Anne Troake (St. John’s, NFLD), Sarah Williams (Montreal, QC), Nova Bhattacharya (Toronto, ON), Tania Alvarado (Edmonton, AB), and Susan Elliott (Vancouver, BC) are poised to make their mark nationally. Their backgrounds are as varied as the regions they come from. All were selected by the Canada Dance Festival (CDF) in 2002 to participate in a three-year multi-faceted project.

The documentary begins at the 2002 festival with the choreographers in performance. The filmmakers follow the progress of the artists at a three-week residency the next year at the Banff Centre where they face a new and different reality. Breaking from the relative isolation that many dance artists work in, the women explore other facets of their creativity through movement, drawing and discussion.

“Raising the Bar” culminates with expectation at the 2004 CDF. But the event is compromised with funding shortfalls, and the artists face a new set of challenges. Who presents new work and who is cut?

Raising the Bar” is produced by Mouvement Perpétuel, in association with BRAVO! Canada, a division of CHUM Limited, the Canada Dance Festival, the Banff Centre, and made in part with the support of the National Film Board of Canada’s Filmmaker Assistance Program.