Real Good for FREE: Music & Dance Films @ PS21, Chatham

PS21 in Chatham is presenting a summer movie program of free music- and dance-themed films. The film series kicks off on Tuesday (June 17) and runs each Tuesday throughout the summer. In addition, PS21 also presents its Dancers and Dancemakers Film Festival as part of the Chatham Dance Festival from August 5-9. All films begin at 8:30pm in June and July and at 8pm. in August. Film screenings are free of charge and held under the tent at 2980 Route 66 in Chatham.

Here’s the complete schedule of PS21’s free music and dance films for 2014:

Tuesday (June 17), 8:30pm: “Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould”
Award-winning documentary about the piano prodigy, portrayed by Colm Feore. The director François Girard wrote, “the film is built of fragments, each one capturing an image of Gould.” The soundtrack consists almost entirely of piano recordings by Gould. (Canada. 98 minutes. 1993.)

Tuesday, June 24, 8:30pm: “You Were Never Lovelier”
Fred Astaire with Rita Hayworth, who some suspect may have been his favorite partner. The usual cotton candy plot, but, as in all Astaire films, it includes memorable dancing, music and laughs. Score by Jerome Kern. (USA. 97 minutes. 1942.)

Tuesday, July 1, 8:30pm: “Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel”
This documentary by her grandson’s wife, captures Vreeland’s life through a range of media including film, photography, animation, graphics, text, sound and music. Her own voice and persona guides us through her
adventurous life. (Rated PG-13. 86 minutes. 2011.)

Tuesday, July 8, 8:30pm: “Havana, Havana!”
Introduced by the director David Grubin. The soul and energy of African-Cuban drummers, guajira guitarists and the pulsing melodies of Cuban music. Raul Paz brings together fellow musical stars for a concert in Havana. Their decision to return has injected a new spirit into Cuban music. Mirroring Cuba’s growing relationship with the world, “Havana, Havana!” highlights how the country’s musical expression is evolving in the 21st century. (USA. 56 minutes. 2012.)

Tuesday, July 15, 8:30pm: “The Full Monty”
In depressed Sheffield, six unemployed steel workers in need of money form a male striptease act. The
women cheer them on to go for “the full monty” (total nudity.) Directed by Peter Cattaneo, the film was nominated for several Academy Awards and won Best Original Music Score. (Rated R. UK. 91 minutes. 1997.)

Tuesday, July 22, 8:30pm: “Jazz on a Summer’s Day”
Co-filmed and co-directed by commercial and fashion photographer Bert Stern and director Aram Avakian, the concert movie was filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, capturing memorable performance by Jimmy Giuffre, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, Anita O’Day, Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan, Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong and others. (USA. 85 minutes. 1960.)

Tuesday, July 29, 8:30pm: Films of Georges Méliès
The selection of silent films includes “A Trip to the Moon” (1902), “The Impossible Voyage” (1904), “Palace of the Arabian Nights” (1906) and “Baron Munchausan’s Dream” (1911).

Tuesday, August 5, 8pm: “To Dance Like A Man”
Identical Cuban triplets Angel, César and Marcos, age 11, are passionate about becoming ballet dancers. Each wants the same thing: to be chosen for a role in an important ballet in Havana. Who will be chosen? Directed by Sylvie Collier. (UK. 58 minutes. 2011.)

Wednesday, August 6, 8pm: “Ballets Russes”
An intimate portrait of a group of pioneering artists — now in their 70s, 80s and 90s — who gave birth
to modern ballet. Co-directed by Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine. (Belgium. 118 minutes. 2005.)

Thursday, August 7, 8pm: “Dancing Dreams”
Teenagers perform “Kontakthof” by Pina Bausch. This was the last film and the last interview with the world-famous dancer and choreographer. Every Saturday, 40 students (ages 14 to 18) rehearsed under the direction of Bausch dancers Jo-Ann Endicott and Bénédicte Billiet, under the intense supervision of Bausch herself. This film by Anne Linsel and Rainer Hoffmann documents the process culminating in the opening night performance. (Germany. 92 minutes. 2009. German with English subtitles.)

Friday, August 8, 8pm: “Dancing for Mr. B: Six Balanchine Ballerinas”
Six of George Balanchine’s finest stars – Maria Tallchief, Mary Ellen Moylan, Melissa Hayden, Allegra Kent, Merrill Ashley and Darci Kistler – pay a moving tribute to the legendary choreographer and describe how he shaped them as dancers and influenced their lives. USA. (86 minutes. 1989.)

Saturday, August 9, 8pm: “Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About”
Starting his career as a modern dancer, Jerome Robbins began to appreciate the technique involved in ballet, the two of which he merged in his choreography, especially in musical theater. Features many greats from the worlds of Broadway and the ballet. (USA. 120 minutes. 2009.)

Tuesday, August 12, 8pm: “Bill T. Jones: A Good Man”
Follows acclaimed director-choreographer Bill T. Jones for two tumultuous years, as he tackles the most ambitious work of his career, an original dance-theater piece in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s Bicentennial. Choreographer Jamal Jackson introduces the film. (USA. 1 hour 23 minutes. 2011.)

Tuesday, August 19, 8pm: “Frances Ha”
Shot in glorious black and white, Noah Baumbach’s film is packed with gentle, subtle comedy, as well as a magnificent and thoroughly charming perfoemance by Greta Gerwig in the title role. Choreographer Takehiro (Take) Ueyama introduces the film. (Rated R. USA. 86 minutes. 2012.)

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING REAL GOOD FOR FREE EVENTS FOR 2014:

Freedom Park Concert Series @ Freedom Park, Scotia, 7pm various days
Rotterdam Summer Concert Series @ Rotterdam Senior Citizens Center, Rotterdam, 7pm Mondays
Music in the Park @ Schodack Town Park, Schodack, 6pm Tuesdays
Tuesday Nights in the Park @ Cook Park, Colonie, 6pm Tuesdays
Made in the Shade of The Egg @ the Empire State Plaza, Albany, 12noon Wednesdays
Capital Concert Series @ Empire State Plaza, Albany, 5pm Wednesdays
Rockin’ On the River @ the Green Island Bridge Parking Lot, Troy, 5pm Wednesdays
Summer in the City Concert Series @ various locations, Albany, Wednesdays
Concerts at Windsor Lake @ Windsor Lake, North Adams, 6:30pm Wednesdays
Wednesday Night Summer Concert Series @ Shepard Park, Lake George, 7:30pm Wednesdays
Jazz On Jay @ Jay Street, Schenectady, 12noon Thursdays
Alive at Five @ Jennings Landing, Albany, 5pm Thursdays
Concerts in the Park @ Wiswall Park, Ballston Spa, 6pm Thursdays
UpBeat On the Roof @ Skidmore College’s Tang Museum, Saratoga Springs, 7pm Fridays
Music at Sunset @ Greenport Town Park, Hudson, 7pm Fridays
Powers Park Concert Series @ Powers Park, Troy, 6pm Saturdays
Music Haven Concert Series @ Central Park’s Music Haven, Schenectady, 7pm Sundays
Jazz at the Lake @ Shepard Park, Lake George, 9/13-14/14