Wow! What a hectic and completely rewarding past few months it has been for WildDogs. A big thank you goes to our devoted participants, patrons, and festival team for making the inaugural event a success. We put “International” in WildDogs International Screendance Festival in hopes of bringing together a tight knit global community of screendance artists. After receiving submissions from over 20 different countries, we are happy to say that our expectations were exceeded tenfold. We had the opportunity to host a multitude of stories and cultures from around the world, all sharing the common passion of screendance. It was an eye-opening experience to see a global community of artists come together during unprecedented times to share their stories. If we look closely, art unites, inspires, and most importantly, grounds us during times of uncertainty. As the whole world moves forward into a new normal, we as artists must unite, inspire, and demonstrate the power of art to heal. We must especially support performing arts in schools and universities because the fragility of these programs continues to be tested. At WildDogs, it is our goal to attract a global community of artists who engage and inspire each other to work towards a sustainable future.
WildDogs proudly operates with international bases around the world, making our screendance festival unique, exclusive, and ever-evolving! With successful pop-up screenings in Calgary, AB and Saskatoon, SK, we are eagerly anticipating our Hawaii and Poland premieres this fall. WildDogs participants have the opportunity for their films to be screened in multiple places around the world, which promotes rich dialogue and feedback for the artists. Our pop-up screenings also allow cities with emerging screendance interests to grow their communities and conversations about the art form. Our next screening of WildDogs will take place in Honolulu, Hawaii, where the screendance community is still emerging. It will be held at a wonderful gallery, The ARTS at Marks Garage, on October 24th at 6pm. (www.artsatmarks.com) It’s the goal of our festival not only to spark interest in the art form, but also to grow communities of screendance patrons in cities where the conversation is still fresh.
ZOE ABRIGO, ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE, WILDDOGS
Artist in Residence, W&M