Minnesota filmmaker Robert Ham mel's dance documentary, "Solo 1 x 2," will screen Thursday (7 p.m.) at Saint Anthony Main Theater as part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, and it is a screening that couldn't come at a more appropriate time.
The documentary follows the work of dancers and choreographers who won McKnight Fellowships a few years ago, including Abdo Sayegh, Karla Grottig, Mifa Ko, Laura Selle-Virtucio, Colette Illarde and Tamara Nadel.
The McKnight dance fellowships recently were buffeted by news about dancers going unpaid by sponsoring organization The Southern Theater. The McKnight this week announced it was moving sponsorship of its dance/choreography fellowships to another group, Springboard for the Arts.
The McKnight has asked the Southern to return $300,000 in grant funding. The Southern has declared a financial crisis and is attempting to raise $400,000 by April 30 to avoid closing.
Hammel will be present at Thursday's screening, and the Southern Theater's current dilemma will likely come up in the evening's conversation. Hopefully the film itself will steer any dialogue away from dollars and cents and more about the dancers themselves. Check out the trailer for "Solo 1 x 2" below.
