Breath Made Visible
Documentary
by Ruedi Gerber
August 2009
The first feature length film about Anna Halprin, the American dance pioneer. The film shows in intense images and testimonials the life and work of this dance and performance icon who has succeeded in fusing art and life. For seven decades, Halprin has asked herself: What is dance? Her search for an answer has initiated an era of experimentation in theater, music, happenings and performance art in the USA and has helped in a decisive way to redefine dance. She is committed to a belief in the connection between movement and the healing power of dance.
This cinematic portrait takes its audience from Halprin's first comic dances and experimental performances on a dance deck under Californian redwood trees through her spectacular tours to Europe, her withdrawal from the stage due to illness to her triumphal return to the stage.
