Documentary Screening: Can you Bring It: Bill T. Jones & D-Man in the Waters

Presented in collaboration with the Massimadi Festival, Can you Bring It: Bill T. Jones & D-Man in the Waters, is a documentary by Rosalynde Leblanc and Tom Hurwitz. The screening will be preceded by Disruptor Conductor, a film by Sharon Lewis.

Can You Bring It : Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters

Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters brings to life the creative process that culminated in choreographer-dancer-director Bill T. Jones’s tour de force ballet D-Man in the Waters, one of the most important works of art to come out of the AIDS crisis. In 1989, D-Man in the Waters gave physical manifestation to the fear, anger, grief, and hope for salvation that the emerging Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company felt as they were embattled by the AIDS epidemic.

As a group of young dancers in the present re-interpret the work, they deepen their understanding of its power – exploring what is at stake in their own personal lives in order to commit and perform it successfully. Through an extraordinary collage of interviews, archival material, and uniquely powerful cinematography, this lyrical documentary uses the story of this iconic dance to illustrate the power of art and the triumph of the human spirit.

Can you Bring It: Bill T. Jones & D-Man in the Waters, United States, 2020, 94 min, Rosalynde Leblanc et Tom Hurwitz. In English with French subtitles.

Disruptor Conductor

Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser is an unlikely hero on a mission to create live orchestral shows that are for everyone.

Disruptor Conductor, Canada, 2019, 44 min, Sharon Lewis. In English with French subtitles.

Information

Free screening, in English with French subtitles, presented on Sunday, April 24, 2022, at 5:30 p.m.
Duration: 140 minutes
Location: J. Armand Bombardier Theatre at the McCord Museum
Limited seating, reservation required.
Billetterie Weezevent

Massimadi Festival

Every February since 2009, as part of Black History Month, Massimadi Festival presents films, documentaries, and web-series on LGBTQ+ themes that highlight members of Black communities.

Massimadi is a space where artists and activists address issues affecting Black communities in round tables and public discussions. The festival is also a platform to introduce local artistic talent and share Afro LGBTQ+ culture through the arts.
See program