DANS, GROZNY DANS
Niederlande 2002 – Director: Jos de Putter – Original language: Russisch und Tschetschenisch – Subtitles: English – Length: 75 min.
Grozny, the capital of Chechenia, is a devastated city after two wars of independence against Russia. Between the ruins, a group of children practise Caucasian dance steps. They are between six and sixteen of age and belong to a Chechen dance-group. The film follows them on their tour of Europe, where they dance in the theatres of Amsterdam, Krakow, Warsaw and London.
For the dancers, their performance is more than a manifestation of Chechen self-confidence. It is a manifestation of their existence. When they dance they seem to be saying: Everything around us is in ruins, but we are dancing, we exist.
What begins as an apparent celebration turns out to be almost a compulsion to dance, to find a release for these children's over-loaded nervous systems, to keep from going mad. The group's dance turns into a metaphor for the horror of daily reality, in which these children could disappear from one moment to the next.
English/Original Title: The damned and the sacred. Writer: Jos de Putter. Camera: Vladas Maudzius. Sound: Tom d'Angremond. Editing: Stefan Ukamp. Music: Vincent van Warmerdam. Production: Zeppers Film & TV. Producer: Frank van den Engel. International Sales: Ideale Audience International Distribution: s.o.
