Dance Film Shorts is a series of two film showings by The Dance Complex in association with MIT Open Space Programming. Events in this series include Ali Kenner Brodsky on March 7, 2024 and Rachel Linsky on March 21, 2024. Both events will take place at the MIT Welcome Center. Ali Kenner Brodsky will show two films (more information below) followed by a Q&A session. 

to be near you. (2021) is a dance film that pushes at the boundaries of time to create a feeling of reconnecting with something, or someone, who is gone. Based on a live duet between Ali Kenner Brodsky and Jenna Pollack, to be near you. honors the memory of those we have lost, collapses distance by energizing the spaces between, and demonstrates how people can find connection through physical separation. Ali, Choreographer & Director, worked with Rich Ferri, Director of Photography; Jarret Blinkhorn, Co-Director; and Composer MorganEve Swain to bring this film to life. The creation of the film was made possible with support from the Jamestown Arts Center in Jamestown, Rhode Island; and from the SPACE Gallery in Portland, Maine through a New England States Touring Grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and a New England Dance Fund Grant also through NEFA.

between silences (2018) is a dance film based on Ali’s live work, the most depressing piece… and made in collaboration with filmmaker Rich Ferri and composer MorganEve Swain. There is a richness in isolation as trauma is relayed through the body and in conversation with her surroundings. between silences portrays her journey through grief as she investigates how to love, to lose, to grieve, and to pick up the pieces. The creation of the film was made possible with support from the New England Dance Fund Grant also through NEFA.

Ali Kenner Brodsky makes gesturally rich and emotionally driven dance-theater works and dance films. Her work makes space for you to become absorbed in a world of reflection, remembering, and connection. AKB received a 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Choreography Fellowship and was honored to be a part of NEFA’S NE Regional Dance Development Initiative 2021/22. With David Henry, Lila Hurwitz and Andy Russ, Ali co-founded Motion State Arts, which presents innovative dance-films and live performances from local, national and international artists. A Rhode Island native, AKB makes home in Dartmouth, MA with her husband, two children and five chickens. www.alikennerbroddsky.com @akbandco

Jarret Blinkhorn got his start in the Horror genre, producing feature films such as “The Mind’s Eye” for RLJ Films and “Midnighters” for IFC Midnight while also directing, editing and scoring his own short films like “Signal To Noise” and “They’re Closing In” which earned him the 2015 Directorial Discovery Award at RI Film Festival. Jarret is currently the owner of JB Horn Film, a wedding filmmaking solo venture that was awarded “Best Wedding Videographer” by RI Monthly and Engaged Magazine and currently resides in Coventry, RI with his wife and daughter.  https://jbhorn.com/ @jbhornfilm

Rich Ferri is a director of photography based in Rhode Island with a focus on commercial, fashion, music, and documentary films. Prior to 2016, Rich worked in education and advocacy for Rhode Island high school students. Since 2016, Rich has worked independently and in collaboration with production companies to produce content for a wide range of artists, musicians, brands, and advocacy organizations. @therichferri 

Jenna Pollack Jenna Pollack is a collaborative dance professional, educator, and cultural organizer. She is currently a graduate candidate in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Research Assistant at the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement. Jenna was an Arts Envoy to the U.S. Embassy in Colombia (University of Caldas), and has taught at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Salem State University. Jenna holds an executive certificate from University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice in Social Impact Strategy, an M.A. with Distinction in Choreography from the Institute of the Arts Barcelona/Liverpool John Moores University, a Certificate with Honors from Harvard Business School Online’s CORe program, and a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from The Juilliard School. Jennapollack.com @in_jenna_ral

MorganEve Swain is an independent musician living in a barn in the woods of New England. A violinist since the age of three, she uses strings primarily to compose original music for dance, story, film, and her band The Huntress and Holder of Hands. When she’s not playing them, MorganEve repairs violins and bows at her home-shop and teaches violin to children using the Suzuki methodology. MorganEve also works as a freelance studio and touring musician and manages the affairs of her late-band Brown Bird. She can be found on Instagram @swain.morganeve and on the web at morganeveswain.com