Ali Kenner Brodsky: Five Film Screening

Mechanics’ Hall invites you into the world of choreographer and dancer Ali Kenner Brodsky and filmmaker Rich Ferri, for the first-ever full screening of their five dance films together.

Known for her gesturally rich and layered movement, Brodsky invites quiet reflection and a tender confrontation with what it means to love, to grieve, and to remember.

The hour-long quintuple feature will conclude with a panel featuring choreographer Ali Kenner Brodsky, cinematographer Rich Ferri, dancer Dr. Ilya Vidrin, and musician MorganEve Swain.

Saturday, November 22, at 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM), approximately 60 minutes: 33 minutes of film plus Q&A.

$10 for MH Members, $15 for General Admission, no one turned away for lack of funds at the door.

Don't miss Ali Kenner Brodky's movement workshop earlier in the afternoon on Saturday, November 22, at 3:00 PM.

ABOUT THE FILMS

The evening features the premiere of the complete triptych your love: beside me (2025), which captures the life cycle of love. These works are a film adaptation of three live performance duets created by Ali Kenner Brodsky and performed by Jessi Stegall & Ilya Vidrin with music composed by MorganEve Swain.

Also screening is to be near you. (2021), which pushes at the boundaries of time to create a feeling of reconnecting with something, or someone, who is gone. Based on a live duet between Ali Kenner Brodsky and Jenna Pollack, to be near you. honors the memory of those we have lost, collapses distance by energizing the spaces between, and demonstrates how people can find connection through physical separation.

between silences (2018), examines the richness in isolation as trauma is relayed through the body and in conversation with surroundings. It’s a journey through grief as Ali investigates how to love, to lose, to grieve, and to pick up the pieces

Following the screening, please stay for a conversation with the creative team. The panel is an opportunity to hear directly from the artists whose quiet brilliance has been recognized by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, NEFA, and institutions including Harvard, Brown, and the Bates Dance Festival.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Ali Kenner Brodsky makes gesturally rich and emotionally driven dance-theater works and dance films. Her work makes space for you to become absorbed in a world of reflection, remembering, and connection. AKB received a 2022 Massachusetts Cultural Council Choreography Fellowship and was honored to be a part of NEFA's NE Regional Dance Development Initiative 2021/22. With David Henry, Lila Hurwitz, and Andy Russ, Ali co-founded Motion State Arts, which presents innovative dance films and live performances from local, national, and international artists. A Rhode Island native, AKB makes home in Dartmouth, MA, with her husband, two children, and five chickens. @akbandco

Rich Ferri is a director of photography based in Rhode Island with a focus on commercial, fashion, music, and documentary films. Prior to 2016, Rich worked in education and advocacy for Rhode Island high school students. Since 2016, Rich has worked independently and in collaboration with production companies to produce content for a wide range of artists, musicians, brands, and advocacy organizations. @therichferri

MorganEve Swain is an independent musician living in a barn in the woods of New England. A violinist since the age of three, she uses strings primarily to compose original music for dance, story, film, and her band The Huntress and Holder of Hands. When she’s not playing them, MorganEve repairs violins and bows at her home-shop and teaches violin to children using the Suzuki methodology. MorganEve also works as a freelance studio and touring musician and manages the affairs of her late-band Brown Bird.

Dr. Ilya Vidrin is a performer, educator, and researcher at the intersection of performing arts, philosophy, and interactive media. Born into a refugee family, Dr. Vidrin’s research and artistic practice engages with the complex ethics of human interaction, including the embodiment of care, cultural competence, and social responsibility. Ilya has been featured as one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” (2022), and has been an artist-in-residence at L.A. Contemporary Dance Company, North Atlantic Ballet, Ballet Des Moines, Jacob’s Pillow, AREA Gallery, National Parks Service, Harvard ArtLab, The Walnut Hill School, Interlochen Arts Academy, MIT Media Lab, Boston Center for the Arts, Le Laboratoire, Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), and New Museum (NYC).

PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.

Parking is available at the Arts District Garage, which has entrances on Casco and Brown Street, with a rate of $5 per hour. Metered street parking is available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and other nearby streets. Free hourly street parking is available between Parris and Alder Street.

ACCESSIBILITY

To enter our building, patrons will need to navigate a single step. There is a wheelchair-accessible elevator and a ramp available upon request.

If you need accessibility accommodations/questions, please contact us at programming@mainemechanics.org or 207-773-8396.

Funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.