James Alton Films
← Back to journal

Performance ·

Dance on film: stage, house and screen

These dance films move between a theatre, a house and a pandemic-era screen production. Each brings choreography into a different physical setting.

The Village Dance Academy dancers under stage lighting in Sockeye.
The Village Dance Academy dancers under stage lighting in Sockeye.

Sockeye

Sockeye is a four-year collaboration with The Village Dance Academy, spanning 2023 through the 2026 production. Three films have been released.

James Alton directed, produced, photographed and edited the work. Theatre lighting and the stage give the dancers a shared space for ensemble movement.

Vienna Hank Choreography

The 2023 choreography film follows three dancers through a house. Vienna Hank choreographed the piece, with Mya and Mac joining the performance.

James directed, photographed and edited the film. Warm light, shadow and a closing door are part of its domestic setting.

The closing door frame from Vienna Hank's choreography piece.
Vienna Hank Choreography The closing door in Vienna Hank’s 2023 choreography film.

One With

Ballet Kelowna’s One With was the company’s first dance film, made over four days while theatres were closed. Simone Orlando choreographed it.

James was cinematographer; Trygg Nelson edited the film. The company’s dancers perform for the screen rather than an audience in the theatre.

A Ballet Kelowna performance frame with dancers moving through stage light.
Ballet Kelowna - One With Ballet Kelowna dancers in One With. Choreography by Simone Orlando; cinematography by James Alton; editing by Trygg Nelson.

Selected work