UN-CONTAINED

Experimental, Short,

United States

2024

Runtime, min

"Un-Contained" explores the external process of relinquishing the need to meet society's expectations, and the internal transformation of authentic expression. The dancers break away from compact shapes and conditional unison movements to individual movement phrasing and partner-work as the location and settings change around them. What happens when we give ourselves permission to be fully authentic and fully in wonder? Produced and filmed in the dramatic landscape of Ketchikan, Alaska.

Director:

Christina Hughes

Selections and Awards:

The Performing Media Festival South Bend, Indiana Premiere Official Selection United States 2025 Rethink Dance Festival La Crosse, Wisconsin Official Selection United States Floor Films Dance Festival Seattle, Washington Official Selection United States DANCINEMA Washington D.C. Official Selection United States 2025 Alabama Screendance Festival Birmingham, Alabama Official Selection United States

REVIEWS:

Matthew Mason’s score feels like a tide, at times subtle, at times swelling., always carrying the dancers forward. The interplay between sound and movement gave the film its heartbeat.

Alba Lucas

The rain, the shifting light, the raw textures of rock and water — they became silent partners in the dance.

Hannes Tarantino

When the dancers opened their arms to the horizon, I felt my chest open with them. It wasn’t just dance, it was an invitation to breathe deeper, to live more fully. I was moved to tears.

Alexander Martin

I just felt this wave of freedom watching it. The dancers looked like they were breathing with the mountains, with the sea. It made me want to run outside and move without thinking.

Olivia Martinez