The story in Dance Lesson started as an investigation on a pioneer of contemporary dance in Latin America, Sonia Sanoja, for a book that I never wrote until I understood that I ought to do a film, in a free and naked format as contemporary dance is.

In order to write the short film, I looked to my own experience when I was a dancer myself to connect with the real character. As a child I had the opportunity to attend to ballet lessons for many years. Even though, I used to enjoy dancing, the classes did become a long and tedious routine on those early years.

A while later when in College, I took a contemporary dance workshop and it was like: Wow! I rediscovered a hidden love for dance again. The enjoyment of dancing, that joy of feeling alive.

I did not become a professional dancer. But I wanted to tell the story of one. Sonia Sanoja was an inspiration for me as writer-director. A real guide, the dancer and the choreographer to build up the fictional character. It was also a bridge for the crew was a bridge to enter the world of dancing through watching her extensive repertory and reading of her essays.

So, my ambition for the audience with the journey showed on Dance Lesson is to invite them to follow the itch of curiosity in their very own paths to be discovered along their lives.

Joaneska Grössl is a Venezuelan filmmaker, who is devoted to the the screenwriting (Box 25, Moon´s cheese) and film production (El Yaque, Town of Champions, A tus Espaldas). She counts with a Master for Cinema and television writing at the University Autonoma of Barcelona (Spain) and with an European Máster on Audiovisual Management from the Media Business School.

Grössl wrote and directed her first short film: Dance Lesson: The Body Call a fiction story with experimental cut inspired on Sonia Sanoja, a dancer, choreographer and a pioneer of contemporary dance in Latin America. Currently, she´s writing the script for Ligera de equipaje (She travels light), a project that comes with support from the CNAC and the Ibermedia Program for its development.

Cast:

Romina Guarisma as SONIA
Armando Díaz as Professor
Daniela Mambie as Dancer nº 1
Berna Rodríguez as Dancer nº 2
Carlos Acosta as Dancer nº 3
Josman González as Dancer nº 4

Crew:

Screenwriter and Director: Joaneska Grössl.
Cinematographer and Camera: Alexandra Henao.
Assistant Director: Francisco Fuentes.
Sound recording: José María Casas.
Choreographer: Armando Díaz.
Music composer: Gerardo Avendaño.
Editing: Nerio Aguirre.
Sound designer: Iván Urbina.
Colorist: Kenzo Mijares
EFX: Diana Salazar
Animator: Jesús Barrios
Producer: Joaneska Grössl.
Production manager: Gerardo Jaramillo.
Executive producers: William Porreca and Jonathan Grössl.

• Dance lesson was selected by the programm Venezuela en corto to be screened over 200 film theaters in Venezuela along with feature films.
• Private screening to honor Sonia Sanoja, the real dancer, choreographer and writer who inspired the story.
• Official selection. Festival Manuel Trujillo Durán 2016. (Maracaibo, Venezuela).
• Premios Municipales de Cine David Suárez: Honor distinction to Joaneska Grössl director of Dance Lesson.

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