‘Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters’ Doc Trailer
by Alex Billington
June 28, 2021
Source: YouTube
“How do we save ourselves?” Kino Lorber has revealed an official trailer for an acclaimed documentary film titled Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters, by filmmakers Rosalynde LeBlanc and Tom Hurwitz. The doc film brings to life the creative process that culminated in choreographer / dancer / director Bill T. Jones’ tour de force ballet D-Man in the Waters, one of the most important works of art to come out of the AIDS crisis. In 1989, D-Man in the Waters gave physical manifestation to the fear, anger, grief, and hope for salvation the emerging Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company felt as they were embattled by the AIDS epidemic. Through an extraordinary collage of interviews, archival material, & uniquely powerful cinematography, this lyrical documentary uses the story of this iconic dance to illustrate the power of art and the triumph of the human spirit. This originally premiered at DOC NYC last year, and also played at this year’s Minneapolis St. Paul Film Festival. Reviews say the film “touches the heart and stimulates the mind,” that “it’s a work of such great feeling, poetic beauty, and relevance in the times through which we are living.”
Trailer (+ poster) for the doc Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones & D-Man in the Waters, on YouTube:
This film brings to life the creative process that culminated in choreographer-dancer-director Bill T. Jones’ tour de force ballet D-Man in the Waters, one of the most important works of art to come out of the AIDS crisis. In 1989, D-Man in the Waters gave physical manifestation to the fear, anger, grief, and hope for salvation that the emerging Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (both partners at the time) felt as they were embattled by the AIDS epidemic. As a group of young dancers in the present re-interpret the work, they deepen their understanding of its power – exploring what is at stake in their own personal lives in order to commit & perform it successfully. Through an extraordinary collage of interviews, archival material, and uniquely powerful cinematography, this lyrical documentary uses the story of this iconic dance to illustrate the power of art and the triumph of the human spirit. Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones & D-Man in the Waters is directed by filmmakers Tom Hurwitz (an experienced cinematographer for many docs and director of the doc films For Life Against the War and Last Summer Won’t Happen previously) & Rosalynde LeBlanc (making her feature directorial debut). This initially premiered at DOC NYC last year. Kino Lorber will release the doc in select US theaters (NY & LA) on July 16th. For more info, visit KL’s site.
