Best of Fest Encores
How to Watch
In 1989, dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones created D-Man in the Waters, a ground-breaking ballet as a direct response to the AIDS crisis, which had devastated the New York arts community and claimed the lives of untold artists, including Jones’ dance company co-founder and life partner, Arnie Zane.
Masterfully weaving interviews and archival footage, directors Rosalynde LeBlanc (who danced in Jones’ company) and Tom Hurwitz tell the story of this now legendary ballet, and also follow dance students at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles as they prepare a performance of D-Man under LeBlanc’s tutelage almost three decades later. “Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters goes to the very heart of the vital role art plays in our society during times of social crisis.” --Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Director Biography
Rosalynde LeBlanc is a dancer and choreographer who was a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project, and the Liz Gerring Dance Company (2003-2006). Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters (2021) is her debut feature.
Tom Hurwitz, ASC, is one of the most celebrated documentary cinematographers in the world, with over 150 credits to his name. He is the director of the documentaries For Life, Against the War (1967), Last Summer Won't Happen (1968) and Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters (2021).
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