A History of Dancing

Directed by Peter von Ziegesar

A History of Dancing visually follows the transmigration of the soul after death, going through several states before reaching a final destination similar to Nirvana. (A similar transmigration occurs in my films, None Saved, and Alaska.) For the film, I created my own “wipes” to use as transitions, following a tradition developed in the silent era. Ultimately, A History of Dancing explores trauma I’d gathered from an insecure childhood growing up in suburban Connecticut—during which two of my siblings had died violently as teenagers. The lesson for me was that one must come to terms with death, for it is always nearby, even among the well-to-do and supposedly sheltered.