Dance Video Spotlight - Janet Aronoff
CREATORS NOTES from videographer JANET ARONOFF on the collaborative creation of a new dance video featuring contemporary dance artist LEARIE MC NICOLLS for Older & Reckless: 20 Years of Age on Stage
I was honoured to be asked to create a video with Learie for the Older & Reckless, 20th Anniversary. This dance video was a true creative collaboration between myself, Learie and my nephew Jared.
Learie and I had danced together some 35 years ago, with Toronto Dance Theatre, so it was wonderful to reconnect and collaborate creatively. It was so much fun shooting movement and dance, mostly we just improvised together.
While I have many years of experience producing and directing stories, this was my first time shooting a dance video. It’s a very different process putting together movement versus structuring a story. Here is a video created through Learie’s improvisational moves, then driven and inspired by his original sound score. It really came together in the editing of it all. Jared’s natural musicality and timing made it all work together beautifully.
– Janet Aronoff
Here’s a sneak peek of Just Like Me
Dancer/Choreographer/Sound Design - Learie Mc Nicolls
Director/Camera Operator - Janet Aronoff
Editor - Jared Aronoff
Janet Aronoff is a classically trained dancer, graduate of York University’s Dance program and a former professional modern dancer. She performed across Canada with Prism Dance Theatre in Vancouver, Dancemakers and Toronto Dance Theatre throughout her 20’s. She then retired from dance and changed direction to work in film and television production. She worked her way up from research and broadcast journalism to producing and directing stories for many of Canada’s leading broadcasters including CBC, Global TV, Discovery Channel, CTV and TV Ontario. Her work ranged in scope from feature current affairs stories, social issues, adventure sports and health, receiving three awards for Excellence in Health Care reporting as well as a bronze from Columbus Film and Television Festival Award for short documentaries. She has come full circle in returning to her love of dance, by directing and shooting a video with Learie McNicolls, for the 20th anniversary of Older & Reckless.
The editor, Jared Aronoff, is Janet’s nephew and a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia's Master's program in Film Studies. Jared has long shown great talent and enthusiasm in editing personal projects, so Janet was thrilled to collaborate with him for the first time on this video.
