Amid the snow and ice of the last day of February, a day brimming of inspired artistry unfolded, melting away the frozen feelings of a long winter. Inspired by my niece, Alana Kirzner, a stunning dancer with a fierce energy and supermodel look, I loosely wrote a script for a new film short. Amelia Golden, filmmaker and collaborator with ACD, joined our project for a day of artistic discovery in NYC, beginning at Ripley Grier Studios in NYC, and ending at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx.
Alana brought it all to the table with her technical finesse and dramatic edge, portraying a character that oddly came to life once the costume pieces were donned. These rare pieces I bought at a thrift store — a black, velvet dress, a black corset, and shrug — hung on a pipe in my basement to air out and de-wrinkle. They swayed side to side, ever so gently, where I wondered if I was seeing a mysterious woman from the turn-of-the century living in it, or could it have been the spirit of Madeline from the famous children’s book? No matter the origin, Alana awakened her own spirit to flesh out the character she became that day, both indoor, and outdoor at the Botanical Gardens, where we choreographed a frosty-frenzy of quick-study exhibitions on the snowy, wooded paths. We ended at the gorgeous Haupt Conservatory at the Chandelier Orchid exhibit, where we warmed it up for a supreme finale among the fertile plant-life and blossoming flowers — we were loose, fluid, and filled with a taste of Spring in the air! Stay tuned for our new film, Hush Little Child–coming soon!!
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 Film shoot day with Amelia and Alana |
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