The West Hood Story (WESTHOODSTORY) – A Dance Film by Shay Latukolan

Dutch choreographer and dancer Shay Latukolan has taken Spanish Grease by Willie Bobo and created The West Hood Story (it seems to be listed as WESTHOODSTORY even though the film's title sequence splits up the words), which must be one of the best dance films - if not the best - created so far this year.  From the get go, it is obvious that a lot of time, energy and love has been ploughed into its creation and it hits the nail right on the metaphorical head.  I think if Willie Bobo was still alive, he would absolutely adore this interpretation of his classic 1965 number.

The story is simple and straightforward (I’m tempted to say it's a tale as old as time, but that’s really a universe away).  A beautiful young woman makes something of a grand entrance to a dance hall and immediately turns the heads of all the young men in the place, causing just a little antagonism between them as they compete to catch her eye and win her heart.  Their attempts all fail, but her choice of Maxi, the local nerd, ultimately spurs them on to continue their hunt for some loving back in the dance hall.  This may sound like a lot to fit into a five minute dance film, but Shay pulls it all together brilliantly, using some fantastic choreographic shorthand to tell the story and we’re left feeling almost as if we’ve just watched an entire movie in balletic fast-forward.

As Bobo’s most famous track, Spanish Grease was the perfect choice for this dance film.  It’s a key example of 1960s Latin jazz crossover into pop and soul and is generally considered way, way ahead of its time.  And although the video pays homage to those times, in wardrobe and atmosphere (with plenty of West Side Story nods), as well as the music, of course, this comes across as something very modern, very 2026.  I’m not sure where this was filmed, although I suspect London because of the accents of some of the dancers in the spoken-word elements of the film, but the only thing that struck me as missing was the smoke that would have filled a dance hall like this in the 1960s.  To our modern noses, it would have royally stunk – but there is atmosphere aplenty here without it.  I think one of the film's greatest strengths is how so many of the dancers come off as well-formed characters – an incredibly hard thing to do in five minutes.

The comments about WESTHOODSTORY are effusive to say the least.  One says “Simply incredible choreo, direction, and execution as always! Shay your work belongs in a full-length feature on The West End and Broadway!” which, you know, cannot be disagreed with. Another uses hardly any adjectives at all; it just says “The style, swag, vibe, tone, choreography, and creative direction”.  Yet another says: “I’ve watched this piece 7 times already back to back! I doubt it’ll be my last one”. Yes to all.  And thank you Shay Latukolan and team for bringing this superb piece of art to the world and giving Spanish Grease the video it has needed for 61 years!  Watch it below (as many times as you want).

Farewell – An Animated Short by Luke Lee

As we grow up, there are always decisions to be made about our future direction – and some of them are not without their own fair share of pain, even though they are the right decisions and our hearts and heads must be followed.  Often, these decisions involve leaving others behind, however metaphorically, and this can often be difficult to accept, producing bewilderment, sorrow, even anger.  At times like these the mix of emotions often seem unbearable… but still the decision must be made and it is time to leave.

This remarkable animated short by Luke Lee (aka binsoo) tells such a tale.  A pair of brothers with a close bond enjoy a pastoral life, looking after a huge flock of very knowing sheep.  Yet the age gap between them means that one reaches young adulthood first and makes the decision to take his musical skills to a wider audience – the ewes and their lambs are appreciative but he needs more. And so, the difficult decision is reached, and the younger brother will be inevitably left behind.  Yet the older sibling leaves him a gift…

I don’t want to give to much away here, as it’s up to you to watch Farewell and take away from it what you will.  As one of the commenters says “That was an entire Studio Ghibli movie in 7 minutes, impressive” – and yes, there are influences on display. However, Farewell is very much its own story told in its own style.  It is Lee’s final piece from his time at Calarts, and I hope that having made so much of his time at the prestigious Californian seat of higher learning, that he enjoys a long and productive career in the visual arts.  Watch Farewell below.

Blinded by the Flag – New Banksy Statue in Central London

A new work of art by Banksy appeared overnight (29 April) in London’s Waterloo Place.  It depicts a man marching, his chest pumped in patriotic pride, holding his nation’s flag aloft.  Unfortunately for him, the flag has blinded him, swathing itself around his head so that he has no idea in which direction he is marching.  As luck wouldn’t have it, he is marching proudly towards an abyss (or in this case off the plinth).  It’s a strikingly simple visual metaphor, but one with great premonitory depth. Image

As ever with Banksy, the work of art arrived without  notification or fanfare – although he has now confirmed on Instagram that he created it.   It is situated in Waterloo Place, in the St James are of the borough of Westminster.  The location is craftily chosen for such an anti-imperialist piece, as Waterloo Place is littered with statues commemorating Britain’s past habit of stepping foot into countries without invitation.  You do not have to walk far to encounter statues of Florence Nightingale (and the Crimean War Memorial) as well as one of Edward VII.  The artist, who remains anonymous not just because that’s how it has always been but because he has been the target of threatening extremist behaviour, obviously thought long and hard about where to place the statue.

The statue in gold you can see behind Banksy's piece is one of Athena (also known as Minerva), the goddess of both wisdom and war.  She seems, almost, to be greeting the new statue - to acknowledge, perhaps, the inherent contradiction of wisdom and war.

We Were Here Once – A Letter to the Ones Beyond the Stars

Voyager 1 and 2 each carried a Golden Record, a disc which carried sounds, images, music and greetings from our planet to anyone or anything that might come across the spacecraft as they travel through interstellar space.  Yet what would you write if you were to send your own missive to the ones beyond the stars?  This deeply thought-provoking short film by Véras Fawaz focuses on an elderly gentleman, approaching death with quiet dignity, who is about to send his final message. 

As well as being a beautiful piece of film-making, with the visual richness of a full-length movie, the message that the old man sends into space is something very special.  Shaped by the awareness of his own mortality, as well as that of those he loves and loved, the letter presents us as fragile, yet driven and very, very, well, human. It confronts issues that are very twenty-first century – how we fill our lives with stories and screens to cope with fear, even though that might make us feel more disconnected than ever.  The old man identifies love as the defining human force, on which is quiet, enduring and found in moments both ordinary and extraordinary.  It sends to the stars a simple message – that humans feel, fear and love.  And even as we edge towards death, we still hope to connect. 

Watch We Were Here Once below.