Private Project

Where We Were

Where We Were is a dance film that examines isolation through the experiences of confinement, manipulated space, and distorted time.

  • Nicole Daniell
    Director
  • Justin Ayers
    Director
  • Andrew Soltys
    Producer
  • Maggie Fischer
    Key Cast
  • Hannah Kearney
    Key Cast
  • Xavier Alexander
    Key Cast
  • Didacte (Adrien Grellet)
    Music by
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 18 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 8, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Nicole Daniell, Justin Ayers

Justin Ayers and Nicole Daniell make up the directing duo for Where We Were. They grew up as dancers, training and performing together before going their separate ways. Justin moved to NYC to immerse himself in the film industry and is now a cinematographer, producer, and co-owner of Deverge, an interdisciplinary video production company. Nicole graduated with a BFA in Dance from George Mason University and reconnected with Justin while performing with Dakshina Dance Company on tour in NYC. Collaborating again after nearly a decade, Where We Were is the first dance film Justin and Nicole have created together. With Nicole as choreographer and Justin as cinematographer, they have teamed up to explore screendance as an interdisciplinary art.

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Director Statement

Born out of an expression of our pandemic experiences and a desire to collaborate, we challenged ourselves and each other to make the most of screendance as an interdisciplinary art form. We collaborated with Didacte, a musician based in Sweden, reworking his existing tracks, building original compositions, and creating new works in post-production for a truly collaborative process from beginning to end. What started as a simple desire to engage and grow as artists during lockdown became an ambitious project where each act of the film is not only a new theme on an isolation experience, but a new technological challenge to solve. Overall, Where We Were seeks to highlight the synergy between dance and filmmaking technology, while emphasizing the power of collaborative work.