Female director Nathalie De Lopez presents “Dance or Die”, a short film featuring dancer and choreographer Kevin Bago. Conceived as a portrait film, “Dance or Die” tells the resilient story of Bago, who, because of an accident, lost sight of his left eye. “Dance or Die” carries a message of hope at a time when the world most needs it.
The short combines dance, music and poetry. It’s divided into four acts, corresponding to the four verses of William Henley’s poem INVICTUS, published in 1875 and cited as an inspiration by Nelson Mandela during his years in prison. The poet was himself condemned to the amputation of one of his legs. Throughout the film, the viewers watch Bago dancing while confessing the emotions he went through after the accident occurred. We hear him doubting his future as a dancer, torturing himself with second thoughts, but also finding a way to overcome these fears and become a better and stronger version of himself.
Shot in Paris overnight, the film begins with a nighttime stroll in which we follow Kevin through the privacy of his apartment, into the street, then into the metro (symbolising his descent into hell). The end takes place at dawn, on a verdant esplanade, depicting a ray of hope, a visual metaphor of the phoenix rising from its ashes. The artist shares his personal testimony through a free dance performance, giving carte blanche to De Lopez’s vision.
“Dance or Die” was born from a moment of resilience for De Lopez too, following various personal events. Nathalie started her career in the fashion industry as a self- taught photographer, collaborating with brands such as Adidas, Gore Tex, Samsung amongst others. Since her career inception, De Lopez is on a mission to tell universal stories that bring people’s real essence to life. With this in mind, Nathalie conceived “Dance or Die” as a collaboration project, where Bago could freely express himself through his dance.
“Through Kevin’s story, I wanted to address an universal subject: resilience. How, when life throws obstacles at us, humans will draw from the depths of their resources to surpass themselves, and become a better version of themselves. This film is a message of hope” says De Lopez.
Nathalie is currently working on directing and producing more film portraits, to create a collection of true stories to inspire faith and hope in humanity.
Read the article on Shots magazine :
shots.net/news/view/dance-or-die-or-rise-or-write-or-resist
Credits
Starring : Kevin Bago
Director : Nathalie de Lopez
Music : Polérik Rouvière
Director of photography : Julien Teissier
Steadycam operator : Sacha Naceri
First assistant : Pierre Valentin Ferdani
Second assistant : Manon Delville
Artistic direction : GANGSTER PROJECTxHart
Colorist : Arthur Paux
Editor : Zoé Sassier
Line director : Siham Gouy Menaa
Post producer : Axel Kpatinde
Production : Shadow Lab
The film has received 26 official selections, 4 awards and 8 nominations.