POINTS: 7
“Danzar con María is the result of a personal bond with María Fux that has lasted for more than three years now, a period in which I’ve observed her classes, studied her books, and had exhaustive conversations with her about the relationship between cinema and dance, body and video camera. And even though there are incredibly interesting episodes in her personal life, I decided not to make a biopic. Instead, I preferred to focus on the most interesting aspects of her work today,” says Italian filmmaker Ivan Gergoelet about the genesis of his discerning documentary featured in the Critics’ Week of the Venice Film Festival and now commercially released in Argentina.
In the realm of dance, you could say Argentine María Fux is an everlasting star. She’s recently turned 94 years old and is a unique individual: a dancer, choreographer, and a dance therapist who has created her own method of dance therapy. She’s opened up dance schools both at home and in Europe, where she has trained physiotherapists, doctors, gymnastics teachers, and psychotherapists.
At her studio on Callao Street in Buenos Aires, she receives dance students from all walks of life, including people with physical and mental disabilities such as deafness, Down Syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder. But she’s not the type of teacher who favours private lessons, she’d rather go for integrated dance groups in which everybody eventually learns to sing their own song.
This is basically the stuff Danzar con María is made of. You get to see many of her rehearsals and also listen to what some of her students have to say about the great experiences they’ve had while studying with María. As Gergoelet clearly stated, the documentary is certainly not a biopic — so you won’t get to learn that much about her personal life — but a portrayal of the sensibility and sheer humanity found in each of her classes as the way she works is lucidly presented.
Calm and reflexive, María’s voice-over conveys what dance has meant to her and to her family, and above all to her unique students. She stresses the fact that individuals are all different and so they shouldn’t adhere to the same way of dancing. Keeping your own singularity is essential when it comes to her dance classes.
On a different note, María notices the limits imposed in her body because of her age. Nobody can pretend their bodies don’t age. But you could say that just like this unique dance teacher has consistently known how to meet the demands of her students, she is on the right track to meet the challenges of a new stage in life. That is with lots of experience and plenty of wisdom.
Production notes
Danzar con María (Argentina, Italy, Slovenia, 2014). Directed by Ivan Gergoelet. With Maria Fux, Martina Serban, Maria José Vexenat, Marcos Ruiz, Macarena Battist. Cinematography: Ivan Gergolet, David Rubio. Editing: Natalie Cristiani. Running time: 75 minutes.
