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Director/ Writer: Marianne Hettinger
Genre: Short, drama, music, dance
Runtime: 10:53 min
Languages: English
starring Marianne Hettinger, Norbert Schramm and Frey Faust
Director of Photography: Thomas W Campbell, Norbert Schramm, John Hudak
Sound Design/ EDITOR: Thomas W Campbell
Music by: Nicolas Neidhardt (IMDb), Tosso Hettinger (IMDb)
Saint Vitus Dance is about the dancer Margo Kaminski who is on her way to a dance audition for her dream role in a new Broadway Show, a ‘rags to riches’ story. When she gets stuck in a traffic jam, she decides to make a run for it…
“A dancer’s life in New York City is full of challenges: physical pains, last minute auditions, traffic jams, and 200-1000 dancers competing for the same role. And why do we put up with this? Because we don’t have a choice. We dance out of love.. But sometimes we can use a little help, even if it’s from a fourth century saint named Vitus from Italy," says writer/ director/ dancer Marianne Hettinger, who follows her award winning feature debut ‘MANGO TANGO’ with her short film, SAINT VITUS DANCE.SAINT VITUS DANCE won the "HONORABLE MENTION" award at the Ventura Film Festival 2011
FREY FAUST, the dancer who performs the role of 'Vitus' initially inspired me to write "SAINT VITUS DANCE".
Years ago, when Frey and I studied with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company I used to admire this man's incredible talent and creativity. He developed a new method of dancing in an organic way called "The Axis Syllabus".
We recently connected again and I asked him if I could capture his dancing on film. Since Frey lives in Europe now, he was available to shoot only one afternoon when he stayed in New York City for a brief visit. He came straight from the airport and we improvised a dance together.
In the following months I created a story line around this improvisation. Having been a dancer in New York City since the early nineties, I was all too familiar with the daily challenges of auditions, rejections, injuries and personal life interfering.
Our character "Margo's" struggle against all odds to pursue what she loves in "SAINT VITUS DANCE" demonstrates that the universe will support you if you follow your dream. In 2004 I was rehearsing for the Broadway benefit "Equity Fights Aids and Breast Cancer".
During an unfortunate lift in rehearsal I was so badly injured that I needed a knee operation. Ironically I was now the one who needed help, but Actor's Equity, my union, wouldn't assist because they said I wasn't technically employed and had voluntarily rehearsed on my own dime.
I didn't have any health insurance and no means to pay $25,000 for surgery. Then, out of nowhere, a couple who I was teaching tango to at the time, stepped in and paid the whole sum. When I thanked them, they jokingly referred to Saint Vitus, the Patron Saint for dancers.
I googled "Saint Vitus" and found out that during the Middle Ages in Italy people used to dance in front of his statue to ward off disease including the black plague.
Up to this day dance is a powerful tool to heal body, mind and soul, one doesn't need to be religious. I believe, there are angels among us in human form. This brings us to the role of "Ludwig", the caretaker of the dance studio. He represents a key figure in the film. A man, who is quietly content with his humble job and has a light heart. "Ludwig" is played by the brilliant NORBERT SCHRAMM, who makes his film acting debut here and who is Germany's most popular male figure skater of the last 48 years and an incredibly talented photographer who did the action sequences and stills for SAINT VITUS DANCE.
in stock, ships immediately in the USA and Canada:
US$ 15.00 (one DVD)
US$ 05.00 (shipping and handling)
Total :US$ 20.00
in stock, ships immediately in the USA and Canada:
US$ 27.00 (two DVD`s)
US$ 08.00 (shipping and handling)
Total :US$ 35.00
For payment per paypal, please contact Marianne Hettinger.
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