Experiencing Interruptions?

Still Moving

In the U.S. culture, the idealization of youthfulness is keenly felt in the field of dance, where aging has such a negative impact that most professional dancers retire from performing before age 40.

This short documentary film follows a cast of five female dancers, ages 41-65, who defy ageist stereotypes by continuing to perform well beyond an age considered suitable for the stage. Incorporating footage of the development, rehearsal, and performance of a dance work created for them, the film reveals intimate views of these artists and of their lives in dance.

Navigating the challenges of aging and an ageist culture, these dancers offer a new aesthetics of dance performance, provide new role models for younger dancers, and challenge viewers to reconsider their conceptions of age and of aging bodies, including their own.

  • Carla Mann
    Director
    Suddenly, the sky . . .
  • Suzanne Chi
    Director
    Smoke Nocturne, How We Live, Unfolding, Silt & Bone
  • Robert Uehlin
    Director
    in situ, Seers, The Woman, Helen, Waltz of the Canoe, Ensō | Mountain Divide, Cygnus, House of Joy
  • Carla Mann
    Producer
  • Suzanne Chi
    Producer
  • Andrea Parson
    Key Cast
  • Carla Mann
    Key Cast
  • Claire Olberding
    Key Cast
  • Kemba Shannon
    Key Cast
  • Margretta Hansen
    Key Cast
  • Suzanne Chi
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Dance
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2026
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Carla Mann, Suzanne Chi, Robert Uehlin

Carla Mann is a director, choreographer and dancer who creates performances for stage, alternative sites, installation, and film. Carla's work has been presented across the U.S., and in Bulgaria, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Israel, and Serbia. Carla is profiled in Emmaly Wiederholt and Gregory Bartning’s book, Beauty is Experience.

Suzanne Chi is a director, producer, choreographer and performer creating both dance film and live dance performance. Together with Rachel Slater, she directs Muddy Feet Contemporary Dance, whose films include Smoke Nocturne, How We Live, Silt & Bone, and Unfolding, have been screened internationally.

Robert Uehlin is a filmmaker based in Portland, Oregon specializing in the translation of contemporary choreography into the language of film. His work has been screened at the American Dance Festival, The Utah International Screendance Festival, The Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, and across the United States. In 2018, he was selected to receive the inaugural Oregon Dance Film Commission and, the following year, he was named the Hinge Alumni Artist in Residence in West-Central, Minnesota.


Add Director Biography