間 : Between Heaven and Earth

間 : Between Heaven and Earth is a screendance inspired by the Japanese concept of 間 (Ma) and mirrors the artform of kintsugi in structure and metaphor. The spaces we create and the breaks we rejoin through the process of healing unfold in its visual and sonic layers. By filling the void with attentive listening, fluidity and adaptability, we bridge distances with something of value transforming the places and spaces created by a break into precious reminders of the work, struggle, and growth of the healing process.

  • Jennifer Leung Johnson
    Director, Choreographer, Editor
  • Katy Dahl
    Dancer
  • Marina Hutchinson
    Dancer
  • Satya Hinduja
    Original Score
  • Eben D'amico
    Sound Mixing
  • Katy Dahl
    Hair and Makeup
  • Dawn McLelland
    Pottery
  • Project Type:
    Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Screendance, Dancefilm, Dance
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 54 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 31, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 1920x1080, .mp4/MPEG-4
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Japanese American Cultural and Community Center Virtual Exhibition: The Kintsugi Spirit
    Los Angeles, CA
    United States
    October 1, 2021
    Virtual Premiere
Director Biography

Jennifer Leung Johnson is a creative whose background and experience in the performing, visual and healing arts have shaped her into the investigative artist she is today. Through screendance, she combines her experience in dance and photography to create immersive films that seek to magnify and bring to light nuances of the human experience.

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Director Statement

間 : Between Heaven and Earth is an attempt to shed light on the physical and figurative materials we use to fill spaces we encounter in life: between moments of waiting; ideas manifesting into physicality; thoughts translating into words; or the distance between humankind and the earth, two people, or the fractured layers of self. Within emptiness, a glimmer of hope might emerge if we first witness, then move forward with empathy toward connection. This dancefilm offers viewers a moment to settle into a space of resonance, listen empathetically, and witness a representation of healing as an impermanent process requiring continual effort and readjustment.

“Length of time depends upon our ideas.
Size of space hangs upon our sentiments.
For one whose mind is free from care,
A day will outlast the millennium.
For one whose heart is large,
A tiny room is as the space between heaven and earth.”
~ Translated by Kyoto Journal from Saikontan (Vegetable Roots Talks), Yuhodo, Tokyo, 1926

At the time of recording, this screendance was filmed on unprotected land at The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We honor the histories and people who call this land home and support those striving to protect and preserve it.