To show virtuosity virtually, Ballet BC brings in new filmmaker in residence
Kevin John Fitzgerald is an acclaimed filmmaker as well as a dance lover and former DJ of Indigenous descent and African heritage
As Ballet BC’s filmmaker in residence, Kevin John Fitzgerald will be working closely with the organization’s artistic director Medhi Walerski.
As Ballet BC reshapes its 2020-21 season to fit pandemic times, it’s also expanding its digital presence through a new lens: the organization has introduced a filmmaker in residence.
It’s a role that combines Kevin John Fitzgerald’s passions: film, music, dance, and connection.
“My goal is to immerse the audience in the experience of the dance and the dancers,” Fitzgerald tells Stir. “I aim to make it exciting and dynamic. Part of the concept is to take the audience into interactive environments that enhance the themes the performers are exploring with their dances.
“I love the pure, raw energy of movement,” he says. “When I see a dancer moving and I connect to their movements, it feels like I am moving through them in a way.”
Fitzgerald will be working closely with Ballet BC artistic director Medhi Walerski and Adrienne Toye, associate director of marketing, making videos, streams, and films throughout the season.
Born in New York and raised in West Hollywood, Fitzgerald studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse with Milton Katselas and his father, Robert, who was an on- and off-Broadway actor, a dancer with in the original Ziegfeld Follies, and one of the first directors of NBC’s The Tonight Show. His dad later got into sports directing, even directing several Mohammed Ali fights.
“I grew up in the film business,” Fitzgerald says. “As a young man, I was always hanging out on set with my dad. I worked with the crew helping them wrap cables or any other odd job. I had a ton of fun. And I remember always wanting to be like my dad.
“At an early age, I learned about all the crew jobs, and got a lot of personal mentorship from my dad,” he says. “I attended USC Film School in LA and was fortunate to be mentored by filmmakers like John Singleton of Boyz n the Hood and Jay Roach [Austin Powers].”
Among the many films he has directed and produced are 7 – Days in Paris about Ben Harper and his band The Innocent Criminals recording Lifeline in France and the documentary feature The Art of Dance.
Fitzgerald first came to Vancouver in the early 2000s to screen his first film, Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme at various festivals. The documentary won several awards, including the HBO Documentary Award and Kodak Maverick Award. Fitzgerald fell in love with the city and a woman, and eventually settled down here, had kids, and became a Canadian citizen.
The founding principal partner of Vancouver based production company Hip Hop Films is a former radio and club DJ, having performed with Mos Def, Wu- Tang Clan, Young MC, DJ Shadow, Macy Gray, and Aloe Blacc.
“DJing something I’ve done since I was 14,” Fitzgerald says. “I’ve spent more than half my life selecting music for people to dance to and watching them move their bodies to the rhythms.
“I’ve also been working on a massive documentary film project about dance for many years now,” he says. “It has been a labour of love and a core passion project. It is based on the premise that dance is and should be an integral part of everyone’s lives. The project features dance styles and dancers from all around the world.”
Through that work, Fitzgerald met dancer-choreographer Lesley Telford, who had worked with Walerski at Netherlands Dans Theater. He saw an opportunity to work with talented dance artists in a way that would enhance his film work.
Ballet BC Filmmaker in residence Kevin John Fitzgerald aims to provide audiences with an immersive experience. Photo by Michael Slobodian
Fitzgerald, who has Indigenous roots from his maternal grandmother (a dressmaker whose heritage blended Kanak from French Polynesia and Taino from the French West Indies) and whose maternal grandfather was French-North African, says he often asks dancers he works with the question “What moves you?” Time and again, the answer has to do with connection: they dance to connect to themselves, others, music, art, culture, or politics. This idea of dance as a connecting force is a theme Walerski is also deeply interested in exploring, Fitzgerald says.
The filmmaker’s work with Ballet BC will focus on creating an innovative cinematic experience that helps viewers remember the beauty and benefits of moving.
“Movement fosters trust in ourselves, others, and connects us to a larger world,” Fitzgerald says. “I believe that this is what people need now more than ever. The pandemic has heightened social isolation and people want to connect but cannot. Watching dancers connect is a way to help ease that sense of isolation. Music and movement can become primary ways to overcome our personal fears and insecurities. They also allow us to connect to our cultural traditions and create a sense of community.
“I fundamentally believe music and dance are safe ways for us to express and heal ourselves,” he says. “This is not a new concept. All forms of art have presented us with avenues to release, express and heal generations of challenges. Through movement, we can alchemize seemingly insurmountable pain into joy, energy, and beauty. For me, it’s all about connection. That’s what we’re inviting the audience to do with Ballet BC via this new online way of watching dance."
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