Private Project

Distant Anchors

Distant Anchors is an enigmatic dance for camera that explores the sudden shivering and rigidity of rigor juxtaposed with the adolescent postures of the subjects in photographer Rineke Dijkstra’s beach portraits. The women paradoxically embody both sincere innocence and great wisdom, conjuring images of cryptic sea-sirens tied invisibly to something deep and amphibious.

  • Jessica Bonenfant Coogan
    Director
  • Lola Lola Dance Theatre
    Producer
  • Noromo
    Producer
  • Nola Smith
    Key Cast
  • Tara Sheena
    Key Cast
  • Charly Wenzel
    Key Cast
  • Kate & Mark Ovaska
    Director of Photography
  • Adam Bertocci
    Editor
  • William Stanton
    Score
  • Liz Stanton
    Score
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Other
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 16 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 15, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jessica Bonenfant Coogan

JESSICA BONENFANT COOGAN uses movement, text and striking imagery to craft performances that elicit complex questions and evoke multi-layered emotions. She has over fifteen years experience presenting work for the stage, site-specific spaces, and film – particularly with her NYC-based company Lola Lola Dance Theatre (www.lolalola.org). Jessica’s work has received support from the Frey Foundation (Artprize) and the National Endowment for the Arts (via Chashama’s Windows Program). She has been awarded choreographic residencies in both the US and France. Recent career highlights include a commission from Amy Wilson/Res 345 to create a provocative site-specific performance installation, Disembodied Woman, at SiTE:LAB for ArtPrize 2015 (Grand Rapids, MI.) Jessica is currently working with her husband, Hughie Coogan, to develop Greywood Arts, a multi-disciplinary artist’s residency in East Cork, Ireland (www.greywoodarts.org). In addition to serving on the planning committee of the Midleton Arts Festival, she also works with First Cut! Youth Film Festival and The Firkin Crane. Jessica holds an MFA in choreography from University of Michigan and a BA in dance from Marymount Manhattan College. She has also worked with dance and theatre students at University of Michigan, University of Toledo, Grand Valley State University and the American College Dance Festival. She is a member of CDP/NYC, a group that practices performance improvisation grounded in Buddhist philosophy.

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