Humanity Lives on Stage and Film
By Charles Baran
It’s no secret that ballet, jazz, modern dance, and hip-hop have brought pleasure and excitement to audiences around the world for many years. It’s a special treat to sit in an auditorium and watch in awe as technically gifted dancers push their physically toned bodies to limits that we ordinary humans think are impossible. It’s also no secret that to be a professional dancer, long hours of hard work and discipline are required. But a dancer’s life is much more than years of training and dedication; it is often filled with heartache, disappointments, and pain, both physical and emotional. For male dancers, issues of homophobia, cultural machismo, and discrimination also come into play.
Rafi Maldonado-Lopez, the former Director of Contemporary and Jazz Dance at Miami City Ballet when the great Edward Villella helmed the esteemed company as Artistic Director, dreamed of one day creating an all-male dance festival. His vision was not only to showcase the tremendous talent of South Florida’s professional male dancers but also the talents of leading male dancers from prestigious companies around the world. His goal was to tell, through dance, the backstories of their lives and the efforts spent fulfilling their destinies—simply to dance. In my conversation with Rafi, where we discussed at length the inspiration for an all-male dance festival, he mentioned a black-and-white 1967 Bell Telephone Hour program, now available on YouTube, where Edward Villella pushes himself through the physical pain and exhaustion of dancing three major roles twice in one day, collapsing each time he exits the stage. It’s difficult to watch—heartbreaking, actually—but necessary to see to fully understand the private world of a professional dancer. This was the passion and humanity that Rafi wanted to explore and capture on stage in his “dream” festival.
Rafi, who now serves as the Principal Managing Director of the Sanctuary of the Arts in Coral Gables and as the Founding Artistic Director of the Inter-American Choreographic Institute (ICI), nurtured the seeds of his dream for several years. Finally, five years ago, his vision became a reality with the first Men Who Dance festival. Since 2020—unbelievably, the year of the pandemic marked the debut of Rafi’s monumental undertaking—the festival, which partners with The Broward Center and considers Broward County its natural home, has grown from a single evening to a two-night festival featuring the bravura performances of fifty-plus male dancers from twenty countries. Rafi, in his humble way, stated that “Men Who Dance is now the largest all-male dance festival in the United States.” It has grown so large that Rafi finds it difficult to decide which amazing dancers will be featured. He wishes he had room for all of them. At the rate the festival is growing, that may one day happen. This year, 2024, Rafi is proud that the festival will feature the talents of five principal male dancers from the leading companies of Paraguay, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, who will be dancing alongside principal male dancers from South Florida’s Miami City Ballet and other local professional dancers.
Needless to say, it has taken tremendous focus and effort to grow the festival to its current status. But all the hard work has certainly had its rewards—not only in an increased presence, growing audiences, and a permanent place in South Florida’s cultural landscape, but also in a documentary film to be released in 2025 by film Director and Producer Abbas Motlagh, and Producer Anne Pollack. Anne, who has a dance background, learned about the Men Who Dance festival only last year when Kent Savage, the Executive Producer of the documentary, contacted her with the exciting proposal. He was passionate about the idea that there was a bigger story to be told. Anne then contacted her friend and colleague, Director Abbas Motlagh, who, in addition to an impressive body of work, had won an Emmy for HBO’s highly acclaimed Hostages. Anne expressed to Abbas that she felt they could create “more than just a documentary on dance.” Abbas, who instantly fell in love with Men Who Dance and the opportunity to preserve the dancers’ stories on film, agreed. As he put it, “I was very lucky the film chose me.” Abbas’ films examine “humanist stories that explore the deep relationships between individuals regardless of whether they are gay or straight, male or female.” In fact, his recent independent film titled Across the River deals with the relationship between two heterosexual soldiers, one Iraqi and the other Iranian. In one heartfelt scene, the two men dance together in a clumsy, playful, and awkward way until they disappear over the horizon. Abbas shared, quite empathetically, something a friend recently told him: “Being human is beyond gender.”
Driven by a mutual passion for human rights, Rafi, Abbas, and Anne began their work on November 11, 2023, three weeks before last year’s opening night. Abbas was so excited about the project that he put work on a feature film aside. Six male dancers and choreographers were selected as the main focus of the film, with Abbas and Anne following them through their daily lives as they prepared for the festival. Initially, Abbas was unsure what to capture and show of these brave individuals who have uncompromisingly dedicated their lives to dance. However, as it turned out, he didn’t need to worry, as the dancers themselves were instrumental in guiding his work. African American dancer and choreographer Randall T. Ward even had Abbas and Anne over for Thanksgiving, sharing a meal with his mom, grandma, and nephews.
The day I spoke with Rafi, Anne, and Abbas was a day of joy. The “final cut” had just arrived in Abbas’ inbox at 4 a.m. After viewing the film, Anne was exuberant that their goal had been achieved. Together they had created a film that “validated humanity in the most gracious way possible.” She added, “Yes, it’s definitely much more than just another documentary on dance.” Preparations are now underway for screenings, film festivals, and a 2025 premiere that will most certainly include Broward County. Until then, we have this year’s Men Who Dance festival to look forward to on Saturday, November 30, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, December 1, at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at BrowardCenter.org.
