Part of Aug 2012 by

Cinema East’s Summer Program Concludes With Girl Walk // All Day

Cinema East‘s 2012 outdoor summer film series has featured some of the best independent films of the Spring 2012 festival junket. Somebody Up There Likes Me, Gayby, Kid Thing, Sun Don’t Shine and King Kelly have all drawn very impressive numbers of hipsters, cinephiles and everyone in between to Yellow Jacket Stadium in East Austin.

The final Cinema East screening of the summer is Girl Walk // All Day, a 71-minute dance music video choreographed to one of my favorite albums of 2011, Girl Talk’s All Day. Rather than assembling a bunch of random dance routines together, director Jacob Krupnick opts for a relatively straightforward narrative approach. Girl Walk // All Day is about a young female dancer (Anne Marsen) who quits ballet school and gets the sudden urge to take a ferry to Manhattan. Instantly inspired by the urban landscapes, the crowds of people, and Girl Talk’s booty-shaking soundtrack, she dances her way across Manhattan. She meets a menagerie of other dancers along the way — some of whom are more friendly than others, but all of whom have some kind of impact on her.

With no spoken dialogue, the actors are limited to communicating via their expressions and movements like characters in a silent film — this is something they all succeed in doing, and Anne Marsen truly exceeds at. Girl Walk // All Day is about letting go and allowing the music to move you. It is not about mastering a particular movement, instead it is about reacting to the music however you see fit. Girl Walk // All Day wants people to get off of their Smart Phones, loosen up and dance…and when it comes down to it, is that not what we all want?

I cannot think of any other album that can both make me smile and blow my mind with its sheer inventiveness like Girl Talk’s (a.k.a. Gregg Gillis) All Day does. Most importantly, it makes me want to dance and jump around like a crazy person.

The August 19th screening promises to turn into a massive outdoor dance party (sparklers included!) at Yellow Jacket Stadium (1156 Hargrave St). The film’s director Jacob Krupnick will be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening. Frank will be selling hot dogs (and tofu dogs) and free beer will be available on-site, but you are also welcome to bring your own food and drinks into the venue. Oh, and best of all, the cover is only $3! Check out Cinema East’s Facebook event page for more information.