Bill T. Jones: A Good Man | The Cutting Room Floor | ITVS

http://www.itvs.org/films/good-man

In this companion piece to the documentary, Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, we see the filmmakers deciding whether or not to include a scene in the film. The film follows Jones and his Company as they create movement and gesture stirring complicated emotions about Lincoln's legacy in contemporary life while asking: What does Lincoln signify in terms of race relations, civil rights, freedom and equality, and these United States? Jones lets the camera inside to witness his creative process as he grapples with the contradictions created by an African American modern dancer creating a definitive work on Lincoln.

Bill T. Jones: A Good Man follows acclaimed director/choreographer Bill T. Jones (Last Supper at Uncle Tom's Cabin, Still/Here, FELA!) as he and his company create their most ambitious work, an original dance-theater piece in honor of Abraham Lincoln's Bicentennial. Through two tumultuous years, we witness raw moments of frustration as Jones struggles to communicate his vision to his dancers and musicians, as well as moments of great exhilaration with movement transcending the limitation of words. Jones and his company come face to face with America's unresolved contradictions about race, equality and the legacy of our 16th President. Initially accusatory and indicting of The Great Emancipator, the work evolves into a triumph of hope for our struggling democracy, with Jones revealing that Lincoln was "the only white man I was allowed to love unconditionally." Premiering on the heels of Jones's Kennedy Center Honor and the prestige of his 11 FELA! Tony nominations, Bill T. Jones: A Good Man is a window into the creative process and, indeed, the creative crisis of one of our nation's most enduring, provocative artists as he explores what it means to be a good man, to be a free man, to be a citizen.

Bill T. Jones: A Good Man is a co-production of Kartemquin Films, AMERICAN MASTERS, Independent Television Service (ITVS) and Media Process Group, in association with Ravinia Festival.


Find out where to watch Bill T. Jones: A Good Man:
http://www.itvs.org/films/good-man

For more information about ITVS:
http://www.itvs.org/

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Bill T. Jones
• Abraham Lincoln
• modern dance
• performance
• American Masters
• behind the scenes
• making of
• Kartemquin
• ITVS
• PBS documentaries

[MrThumblewaddle]

I just watched the documentary, very good piece.....cheers to the filmmakers....