JOHN BUSH / DIRECTOR

John Bush is an award winning New York filmmaker whose work has shown at major museums, film festivals and movie theaters all over the world.  His acclaimed YATRA TRILOGY / JOURNEY INTO BUDDHISM, feature-length documentaries about SE Asia And Tibet, is now being aired on PBS across the USA and abroad.  These films, now distributed as a dvd collection by PBS, have screened at more than a dozen leading world museums including The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, The National Gallery of Australia, Asia Society New York, and The Art Institute of Chicago. His theatrically released documentary, VAJRA SKY OVER TIBET, named “best documentary of the year” (2007) by Film Threat, has been shown in over 125 theatrical venues and festivals including competition for best documentary at Rome, Bangkok and Munich.


John started his collaboration with choreographer Nadine Helstroffer with a series of short dance films shot in outdoor locations of New York City in 2008.  AJAR won the Gold Remi Award (Performance Arts Category) at 2013 Worldfest, the Houston International Film Festival, and the 2012 Honolulu Film Awards - Aloha Accolade Film Award. The dance film HOURGLASS was part of the Wallpaper Dance selection at the 2012 Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, in the special fringe event LaMama Spoleto Open, Italy. DREAM ON ME and ABSENCE PRESENCE both premiered at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York.  DREAM ON ME won the Award for Best Dance Video at the 2011 Patras International Festival of Film & Culture, Greece. The film was also a Best Experimental Project Award nominee at the 2011 Action On Film International Film Festival, Pasadena, and screened at the 2011 Cyprus International Film Festival. 


Their dance films have been presented at 80 festivals including in Japan, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Ecuador, including FI:AF Crossing The Line Festival, USA, Videoformes, Clermont-Ferrand, France, Yokohama International Dance Film Festival, Japan, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, USA, and Danca-EmFoco, Brazil.  ZEPHYR opened the program of the 2010 International Festival of Videodance of Chile TV, broadcast on cable channel ARTV.  John’s work includes a short dance film shot entirely on location in Tibet with Nadine, VAJRA REALM, available on a dvd of his films distributed by PBS.

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NADINE HELSTROFFER / CHOREOGRAPHER

Nadine Helstroffer, French-born, is a New York-based choreographer, dancer, teacher and film producer. The dance films produced in collaboration with filmmaker John Bush have been selected at festivals in 22 countries.  Nadine premiered the award-winning film DREAM ON ME with John at the Rubin Museum of Art, New York  (see above). 


Nadine has been presenting her live choreography in the U.S., Canada and France.  Her work - described as “compelling” by The New York Times, “fascinating” by The Village Voice, and “mesmerizing” by The Dance Insider - includes THRESHOLD and EARTHBOUND.  In New York the Rubin Museum of Art commissioned her to create a 30-minute solo piece ABSENCE PRESENCE performed on the gallery floor of the exhibition "Eternal Presence: Handprints and Footprints in Buddhist Art."


In
New York her work has also been produced by St. Mark's Church, PS122, the French Institute, Laban Institute of Movement, The Field, Viridian Gallery, Columbia University, Bryant Park and Port Authority, among others.  Nadine obtained a doctorate in philosophy under the direction of Daniel Charles (Subject: An Innovative Approach to Dance) at Nanterre University Paris-X, France.  Since 1998 she has been leading the "BodyResonance Workshop" which explores the link between meditation and movement.  She has been presenting her workshop at New York Insight Meditation Society, Zen Center of New York City, New School University, and Bowling Green State University, Ohio. 


Nadine was a lead dancer with Sin Cha Hong’s company, Laughing Stone Dance Theater Company for 15 years. While she was performing with Laughing Stone, the company was nominated Best Dance Company in South Korea.  She toured and taught workshops in Japan, China, South Korea and the US, represented the American Pavilion at the Seville World Fair and took part in the Colorado Dance Festival.  She also performed with Amy Rosen, Celeste Hastings and Frey Faust.  She received The Field's Pagnano Memorial Fund grant. She was the recipient of a five-year grant in philosophy at Nanterre University Paris-X, France and was awarded a two-year grant in dance from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Direct Pictures     New York     Contact:  dance@directpictures.com


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