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Untwined

Untwined is a dance film highlighting the transformative choreography of Bennyroyce Royon. The film features four students who struggle with daily insecurities until they are transformed by the healing force of a Banyan tree. With the help of two mysterious dancers the students are transported into a kaleidoscopic world of seasonal changes as bodies flow, extend and intertwine against natural and unnatural landscapes. Told through dance, each person individually and collectively weaves through pain, self-doubt and inner conflicts to arrive at their own growth and connectivity. The choreography was inspired by the image of the Banyan tree with its ever-expanding branches and deep roots. All movements were improvised on location with no rehearsals and no formal dance training from the four featured students.

  • Joshua Kong
    Director
  • Melissa Lopez
    Producer
  • Robert Hawley
    Assistant Director
  • Bennyroyce Royon
    Choreographer
  • Darwin Black
    Key Cast
    "Banyan Tree/Lead Dancer"
  • Bennyroyce Royon
    Key Cast
    "Banyan Tree/Lead Dancer"
  • Jessica Alter
    Key Cast
    "Winter"
  • Jose Cuevas-Lopez
    Key Cast
    "Fall"
  • Nicole Burnett
    Key Cast
    "Spring"
  • Robert Hawley
    Key Cast
    "Summer"
  • Joshua Kong
    Editor
  • Robert Hawley
    Editor
  • Valerie Lo
    Editor
  • Carla Cedeno
    Art Director
  • Valerie Lo
    Director of Photography
  • Anirudh Rao
    Sound Designer
  • Nour Currie
    Sound Designer
  • Carla Cedeno
    Sound Designer
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Student, Other
  • Genres:
    Dance
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 6 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 11, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    240 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Washington Bothell
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Joshua Kong

Joshua Kong is a senior at the University of Washington Bothell and first time student director. He has an interest in digital media and enjoys dabbling in graphic design, digital art, hiking, and photography. He has an eagerness to learn about all things camera related and wants to pursue a career in storytelling.

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Director Statement

"Untwined" is a dance film created collaboratively by students from the University of Washington Bothell with guest artist Bennyroyce Royon. The film was created in our Global Media Lab course, an intensive, film-making class where we were tasked to make a short film with limited resources and time but with big ideas and heart. The process included pitching several ideas to our professors with the purpose of highlighting Bennyroyce Royon’s belief that dance is a tool of self-expression accessible for every body. The creation of Untwined had many challenges including limited resources, time and students (members of our own team) who were untrained dancers but all were game to work with such a professionally renowned choreographer. Each of us had personal stakes in the film, as the words of the dancers are mined from our own struggles and insecurities both in making this film and in life. Costuming and location choices for the film were selected to show the plight of each character, represented as a season. On a shoestring budget and with the full force of a class of 17 students, we created 6 unique handmade costumes, shot in 5 locations over 2 days and created the entire musical score ourselves.Bit by bit and with both detailed planning and a whole lot of trust in the improvisational dance moment we are proud of the resulting work– expressing a compelling story of human struggles as told through movement.