MATTHEW J. PIPER
LEAP NIGHT
Leap Night is a free quadrennial screening of short dance films I curate and host in partnership with The Hinterlands on February 29 each leap year.
Leap Night 2024 screening of The Under Way (2020) by Rena Butler and Tshay
I share a diverse assortment of rarely screened short films made by local, national, and international dance artists and filmmakers, with the goal of cultivating greater appreciation for dance and video art in Detroit. Leap Night takes place at Play House, an intimate performance space in Detroit's Banglatown neighborhood.
Screenings include both contemporary and historical works. Some of the films are hard to come by and others are freely available to watch online. The playlist below includes a handful of films (or excerpts of films) screened at Leap Night between 2016-2024 that are available to watch on YouTube.
LEAP NIGHT: dance films
LEAP NIGHT: dance films
WPA Virtual Commissions: Preeti Vasudevan and Kamala Sankaram
WPA Virtual Commissions: BalletX - "The Under Way" (working title) by Rena Butler
From An Island Summer (part 1)
From An Island Summer (part 2)
Other films shown at Leap Night include:
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A DREAM IS A HOUSE for remembering the future (2022) by Noah Elliott Morrison and Biba Bell (Watch on Vimeo)
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A Guide to Breathing Underwater (2018) by Raven Jackson and Donald C. Shorter (Available on the Criterion Channel)
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Time I Change (2017) by Oren Goldenberg and Haleem Stringz Rasul (Watch on Oren's site)
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Dancer (2011) by Dara Friedman
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Calico Mingling (1973) by Babette Mangolte and Lucinda Childs (Watch on Ubuweb)
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Hand Movie (1966) by Yvonne Rainer (Watch on Ubuweb)
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Thoughts Out of Season by (1952) by Nicola Cernovich and Katherine Litz