Hair's the Thing

Around this time of year, we can all use a little cheer. The early darkness, the cold, the state of the world alone can send one into a spiral. And while I’ve written about this film before on another platform, I just could not think of anything that felt more apropos and well, deliciously silly.

Performance

“Am I Paris?” dance film by Redha Medjalekh

Place

Words

Sarah Elgart

Still from “Am I Paris?” by director Redha Medjalekh

Beyond the absurdity of its title and content, Am I Paris? is many things. As a film by Director Redha Medjalekh, starring Scorpion Dancer, it’s a black-and-white love letter to Paris that blends really remarkable physical feats and dance with really good filmmaking. It also features an insanely hairy creature that bounds off buildings, gallops past bewildered pedestrians, and challenges a crowd of street dancers. But perhaps its greatest importance is its brilliantly crafted message about acceptance, living in community, and embracing one another’s differences and idiosyncrasies.

And as we approach another year, the latter, I think, is a message for us all. Enjoy.

Still from “Am I Paris?” by director Redha Medjalekh

Sarah Elgart

Sarah Elgart is an award winning choreographer, director, movement director, and producer, creating original content for stage, site and screen, whose work has been seen internationally. Sarah’s ScreenDance Diaries is one of the first articles on the genre of Dance Film (originally for Cultural Daily). An alumna of the Sundance Institute’s Dance/Film Lab, AFI’s DWW, and a director member of the DGA, Sarah is the founder and director of Dare to Dance in Public Film Festival.

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