Moving with the Earth Body

The body is our home, as is the larger body of the earth. When these two bodies move in harmony, a dance unfolds. Both are made whole. RETURNING HOME is a breathtaking and groundbreaking dance documentary in which 80-something Anna Halprin, pioneer of postmodern dance, uses movement as a means of connecting the individual to nature, and art to real life. In collaboration with performance artist Eeo Stubblefield, Halprin moves along thresholds of earth, wind, water and fire, discovering lessons in loss and liberation. Whether surveying the charred remains of her home, or her scars from cancer and aging, Halprin finds beauty and meaning even in the destructive forces of nature. A testament to the importance of honoring the human and earth bodies, this unforgettable film takes us on a mythic and very personal journey home.  
(2003, 45 min.)

More Open Eye Pictures films about Anna Halprin:
» Positive Motion
» Embracing Earth

Producer/Director/Camera/Editor
Andrew Abrahams

Artistic Director
Eeo Stubblefield

Dance Artist
Anna Halprin

Grand Jury Award
Dance on Camera Festival

Semi-finalist
Moondance Film Festival

"Age trumps...in Andy Abrahams Wilson's profile of the free-spirited postmodernist Anna Halprin at 80."
 – The New York Times

"Gorgeously shot!...a profile of a great postmodern innovator."
 – The LA Times

"A remarkable look at a remarkable artist, a woman past 80 who's been innovating in dance for more than half a century."
 – The Village Voice

"A triumph! This stirring production paints the screen with vibrant strokes of emotion, creating a palpable on-screen sense of joy and communion... Stunningly photographed, [the film] is an elegant treatise on death as it is in nature: dynamic, and inextricably interwoven with life."
 – Gatherings, International Community for Ecopsychology

"Extraordinary! Visual and visceral...a great piece of work. I feel reborn after watching this film."
 – KPFA Radio

"Beautifully filmed and choreographed in some of the most scenic locales, this thought-provoking presentation... demonstrates the importance of honoring the human body and the earth body. Dancers, cancer survivors, and nature lovers especially will respect the message."
 – Booklist

"Wilson's poetry of form, word, silence and story ignites within us an awakening to the preciousness of the natural environment: its revelation, its devastation and the roots of both that pulse deep inside our relationship to our own bodies."
 – Kim Rosen, Poet/Teacher

"A beautiful and deeply moving film of dance and nature, informed by the wisdom and life force of Anna Halprin."
 – Harvey Lichtenstein, Brooklyn Academy of Music

"An amazing discovery! I fell in love with the quality and tenderness of approach. We do not often see this type of sensitivity. A great work™a stimulating resource for dance, film and visual arts programs."
 – Simone Ferro, Dance Professor, University of Wisconsin

"Stunning! The haunting minimalist score and lush cinematography enhance this documentary... For all dance collections and larger performance art collections."
 – Library Journal

"A memorable and affectionate portrait...a poignant narrative of the fragile, fleeting existence and contradictory meanings of an aging female body."
 – Janice Ross, Ph.D., Dance Division, Stanford University

"A poetic look at the legendary dancer/choreographer/shaman [Anna Halprin]...in her 80s. Rarely has an artist striven so mightily to put herself in touch with the earth's inner rhythms."
 – Isthmus

"Utterly sublime, with images that are simultaneously powerful and tender."
 – Diário da Manhã (Brazil)

"A visually stunning film that will release the dancer and nature lover inside."
- Planet In Focus

"Esquisite and uplifting."
 – Santa Fe Film Festival

"A stunning work...a film to celebrate."
 – Deirdre Towers, Dance Films Association

Producer/Director
Andy Abrahams Wilson

Dance Artist
Anna Halprin

Artistic Director
Eeo Stubblefield

Original Music
Fred Frith

Sound Design
Mark Escott

Cinematography & Editing
Andy Abrahams Wilson

Body Art & Locations
Eeo Stubblefield

Associate Producers
Annie Gladue
Ken Higgins

Online Editor
Mike Wardner
Rough House Editorial

Sound Mix
Mark Escott
Robert Berke Sound

Additional Sound
John Dimitru

Additional Camera
Johnny Symons

Fiscal Sponsor
Tamalpa Institute

Major Funding
National Initiative to Preserve America's Dance
The LEF Foundation
The Sue SHerman Fund of the McKenzie River Gathering Fdn.

Dances Based on Still Dance Created by
Eeo Stubblefield

Ecovision Global Film Festival, Certificate of Recognition

Dance on Camera Festival, Grand Jury Award

Moondance Film Festival, Semi-finalist

Video Danse, Centre Pompidou (Paris)

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Association pour la Danse Contemporaine (Switzerland)

Festival Estival, San Martin de los Andes (Argentina)

University of Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art (France)

Women, Healing & the Arts Conference

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art

Festival for Art on Film

Rafael Film Center

Sonoma Film Institute

International Festival of Body, Image & Movement (Uruguay)

International Festival of Fine Arts (Hungary)

Cinemateque Francaise (Paris)

Jacob's Pillow Dance Film Festival

Dance Camera West Film Festival

The Electronic Choreographer Festival (Italy)

Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival

Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Cinemateque

Dance on Camera Festival

Santa Fe Film Festival

Film Arts Festival

Toronto International Environmental Film Festival

Ecocinema Film Festival (Greece)

American Dance Festival

Int'l Festival of Environmental Cinema (Brazil)

Mediawave Film Festival (Hungary)

Broadcast

Canadian Broadcasting Company

Television Española