The Global Search for Education: Dancing for Trust: Bremen

This month, audiences can screen Dancing for Trust: Bremen on the Planet Classroom Network. This film is curated for the Planet Classroom Network by Battery Dance.

Battery Dance’s Dancing for Trust: Bremen is a captivating mini-documentary showcasing Bremen students expressing their stories through dance. Featuring spectacular cinematography and lighting, it beautifully highlights their empowering journey, offering an inspiring glimpse into the transformative power of dance.

Jonathan Hollander founded Battery Dance in 1976 and the Battery Dance Festival, NYC’s longest-running public dance festival. A renowned choreographer, his work spans five continents. He has received numerous accolades, including Germany’s Federal Order of Merit. Hollander has lectured globally and contributed significantly to cultural exchange and arts education.

The Global Search for Education is pleased to welcome Jonathan Hollander.

Jonathan, what inspired you to create the Dancing for Trust: Bremen documentary?

My colleagues and I at Battery Dance knew in advance that our programs in Bremen, Bremerhaven, and the surrounding communities would be inspiring and wanted to share some elements of the programs with our worldwide audience through the medium of documentary film. We had worked with several schools in the area remotely during the pandemic and had developed a wonderful rapport with education policymakers and leaders, Torsten Klieme and Elke Wolf. Our programs are all about people and relationships, and with such a ‘dream team,’ we felt confident that the results would merit attention beyond the fleeting moments of the workshops and performances themselves.

How did you approach capturing the students’ experiences on film?

I left that in the deft hands of the videographer Andres Gambier.

Can you share more about the teaching techniques you use in these wonderful workshops?

We have 20 hours of workshop time to elicit movement from the students and help them understand the process of choreographing for themselves, for a duet partner, and for a large group. We have refined our methodology over hundreds of workshops in over 65 countries around the world. Essentially, the idea is to provoke the participants to express deep emotions through their bodies without the use of words.

What impact is Dancing for Trust having on audiences?

I have seen parents and teachers in tears watching students who may not have been expressive or have seemed to be thriving in classrooms or at home. Something comes out through the medium of dance that unlocks wellsprings of creativity, and the audience is able to see this and marvel that it only took 20 hours to achieve such remarkable results.

Thank you Jonathan!

C.M. Rubin with Jonathan Hollander.

Don’t miss Dancing for Trust: Bremen, now streaming on the Planet Classroom Network. This film is curated for the Planet Classroom Network by Battery Dance.