When CU Boulder graduate Michelle Bernier attended a film screening on campus organized by the Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema as a graduate student in 2013, she had no idea that the film would shape the choreography for the next decade of her life.

“I remember thinking, ‘What is a dance film?’ I’ve been a dancer all my life – that was my major – but I’d never heard of the art form,” Bernier recalls. “I saw a screening and was totally blown away. I literally wrote to the festival and said, ‘I’m in; I want to volunteer.'”

That enthusiasm led her to work closely with then-executive director David Leserman and eventually take on the role herself in 2016. Now, as Bernier prepares to lead the 21st annual Sans Souci Festival at the Museum of Boulder August 30-September 1, she reflects on the event’s evolution and the organization’s decision to become a nonprofit in 2023.

“We are a slowly evolving organization,” she says. “Our mission has always been to show art and to get audiences interested in the work so that more can be created. Being a nonprofit fit with our sense of place in the community, which has been both a gathering place and a global force in the field of dance cinema. We want Boulder to remain a center for dance films.”

Unpacking the movement

Michelle Ellsworth and Brandi Mathis founded the festival in 2003 while sitting on the porch of a 1967 Marlette trailer in Boulder’s Sans Souci manufactured housing development. Both enjoyed choreographing dances for the screen, so they partnered with the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, CU Boulder’s Department of Theater and Dance, and local artists Ana Baer and Hamel Bloom (Leserman’s stage name) to turn their ideas into a dance film festival.

But ten years ago, Bernier wondered: what exactly is a dance film? Also known as screendance, this practice is an art form that combines dance and film to create a visual narrative in which choreography and cinematography play equal roles. Dance films use camera and editing techniques to capture movement in ways that would be impossible in a live setting, experimenting with space, timing and perspective.

“We’re not looking for films with one or five great dance sequences, but real narrative films that have nothing to do with dancing,” says Bernier. “We’re also not looking for footage of a performance. The camera has to be an actor in the film; it has to be a dance that you couldn’t see on a stage.”

Over the years, the festival has screened more than 800 films from around the world and has had international tours to Mexico, Germany and Brazil. Bernier says organizing an event like this is not without its hurdles, especially when it comes to securing funding for an event that many people may not understand.

“People want to come to an event like this, but the ticket prices just don’t cover the effort that goes into putting on the festival,” says Bernier. “And unlike the Boulder Ballet and the Boulder International Film Festival, where people immediately know what to expect, if you say ‘dance film’ to someone, they’re either like, ‘What the hell is that?’ or ‘Oh yeah, I watch those all the time on TikTok.’ This isn’t TikTok; we’re not talking about that.”

Bernier says much of her job is the “enjoyable challenge” of explaining to people what dance cinema is about. She says that’s easier now than it was ten years ago.

“I’ve always told people it’s one of Boulder’s best-kept secrets,” says Bernie. “But last year, two out of three of our opening night performances were sold out, so the word is getting out.”

“Accessible to everyone”

As the Sans Souci Festival prepares for its 21st edition, Bernier is keen to capitalise on the growing momentum. This year’s event will include virtual reality dance films alongside more traditional video installations and live performances.

“We don’t want it to feel like just another film festival where you sit down, watch a screening and leave,” explains Bernier. “We want it to be a full sensory experience where you interact with the installations and performances and become completely immersed in the world of dance film.”

This year’s highlights include Innate stimulation by first-time filmmaker Megan Roney, created as part of the Sans Souci Festival’s Community Dance Film Project and supported by the Boulder Arts and Culture Department. For virtual reality, visitors experience Before we flew like birds, we flew like cloudsa 360-degree video profile of professional speed skater Maurice Hall. KT Niehoff’s film is part of a series of VR installations that answer the question: “How does it feel to be in your body?”

Looking ahead, Bernier hopes the festival will continue to grow and reach new audiences while deepening its roots in Boulder.

“In our culture, we have this idea of ​​epic, disproportionate growth that never ends, which is kind of unhealthy, but I believe Sans Souci has the potential to reach more people,” says Bernier. “I hope Sans Souci evolves into a festival that draws thousands, not just hundreds. On the artistic side, I would like to see more exploration of the technologies themselves, as well as more VR, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in dance cinema while making this art form accessible to everyone.”

ON SCREEN: Sans Souci Dance Cinema Festival. Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway St. $36 per day