film Waltzing with the enemy
‘Dancing in Jaffa’ tries to heal the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through dance by Michael J. Casey
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ince 1994, Pierre Dulaine, subject of the 2013 documentary Dancing in Jaffa, has run a program called Dancing Classrooms, which teaches fifth graders the fundamentals of ballroom dance. The program teaches more than just footwork, it teaches the students elegance, manners, good posture and most important, Dulaine feels that Dancing Classrooms teaches children civility. For Dancing in Jaffa, Dulaine invited a camera crew along to test just how effective Dancing Classrooms is at teaching civility by taking the New York City based program to one of the biggest tinderboxes in the world: Dulaine’s hometown of Jaffa, Israel. Dulaine knows at the outset of the film that teaching dancing in a culture where some men elect not to touch women all together will be difficult, but he is a man on a mission. Dulaine is no stranger to the customs or the IsraelPalestine conflict, and claims to come with no political agenda, just a desire to teach dancing. That opens more doors than you might think and it allows Dulaine to smuggle in lessons of kindness, trust and connection. Dulaine knows that if he can get these kids to look each other in the eye, hold each
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Israeli and Palestinian children learning to overcome social conflict through dance in the 2013 documentary, Dancing in Jaffa.
other’s hand and accomplish something together, then there is hope for the future. But as with all good stories, it’s not that simple. The fight between Israel and Palestine has been dragging on since 1948, and does not seem to be letting up anytime soon. The current generation will always influence the following, and you can see it in some of Dulaine’s students. “My father would kill me if I
CLASSICS: ROMAN HOLIDAY One of the three Oscars awarded to this story of a bored princess who runs off with an American newsman was for Best Writing for Dalton Trumbo. It was originally credited to Ian McLellan Hunter, who fronted for Trumbo during the McCarthy hearings. Another was for Edith Head’s costume design, and the third for Audrey Hepburn’s luminous acting. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater
DANCING IN JAFFA Renowned ball-room dancer Pierre Dulaine takes his program, Dancing Classrooms, back to his city of birth, Jaffa, to teach Jewish and Palestinian Israelis to dance and compete together. “The initially reluctant, moving duets they finally perform make you feel like, yes, dancing,” says New York Daily News. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater
touched a Jew,” one of the Arab students says. One scene around a dinner table illustrates that the kids are aware that Muslims and Jews are different, they’re just not sure how. “Jew, Arab. Arab, Jew. There is no difference!” Pierre admonishes the children who refuse to touch hands. Not every child cooperates, and Dulaine dismisses them from the program. He has no time to waste on people who don’t want to learn. The direc-
which interferes with his fiance’s wedding plans. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater
GLOBAL GLUE PROJECT 52 couples from around the globe share their secrets of sticking together in 52 shorts. This screening of six of these shorts will be followed by a provocative discussion about love and relationships with one of the filmmakers. At Boedecker. — Boedecker theater.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Ryota Nonomiya is a successful businessman driven by money. When he learns that his biological son was switched with another child after birth, he must make a life-changing decision and choose his true son or the boy he raised as his own. “A tender poem about the ebb and flow of paternal love.” The Telegraph. At Boedecker. — Boedecker theater.
OPERA TOSCA: NATIONAL THEATER MUNICH DON PEYOTE Boulder Premier! Destined to be a cult classic along side “Repo Man” and “The Big Lebowski,” this wonderfully bizarre story of a quixotic hero/madman includes appearances by Anne Hathaway, Wallace Shawn and Topher Grace. An unintentional exchange of fluids with a homeless domesday preacher catapults Warren, our slacker protagonist, onto a path to save the world,
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Starring Karita Mattila, Jonas Kaufmann and Juha Uusitalo. (Three Acts, 2:07). — At Boedecker.
TIM’S VERMEER Tim Jenison, a Texas-based inventor, (Video Toaster, LightWave, TriCaster) attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art:
tor of the documentary, Hilla Medalia, doesn’t shy away from these moments, making sure to keep the cameras close and rolling. The documentary ends with a competition. Students are selected from each school to dance in front of their parents and teachers. The children are understandably nervous and Dulaine is understandably excited. Trophies are handed out, prizes are awarded to the winning school, but pay attention to the losing schools. They do not throw fits of entitlement. They do not walk off the court with their heads hung in shame. They do not rip off their colored sashes in distress. They dance. Dancing may not solve the problems that the future generations of Israel and Palestine face, but it’s a start. Dancing in Jaffa will play at The Dairy Center for the Arts from May 14th to the 17th. For those interested in learning more, Kathryn Bernheimer (author of The Fifty Greatest Jewish Movies) will host a talkback after Thursday’s show. Tickets and information can be found at www.thedairy.org. Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
How did 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (“Girl with a Pearl Earring”) manage to paint so photo-realistically — 150 years before the invention of photography? The epic research project Jenison embarks on to test his theory is as extraordinary as what he discovers. Spanning a decade, Jenison’s adventure takes him to Delft, Holland, where Vermeer painted his masterpieces on a pilgrimage to the North coast of Yorkshire to meet artist David Hockney and eventually to Buckingham Palace, to see the Queen’s Vermeer. At Boedecker. — Boedecker theater VISITORS Steven Soderbergh presents Reggio’s latest, which has the viewer staring intensely at a series of black and white images and faces while listening to an original score by Philip Glass. The images at first seem unfamiliar and strange, but with enough time the viewer finds themselves staring into the face of humanity, discovering bonds we all share. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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