Mining the Moon
In 2015, I learned U.S. Congress sold the moon. Mineral and water rights were sold to Moon Express Program. This meant we no longer had a national space program. From then on it would be privatized. This was before the 2016 elections and the dismantling of Roe vs Wade. I was also struck by the environmental impact of this decision.
A photographer friend, Ronnie Farley told me ‘they sold the moon’ on the sidewalk in Beacon. She said her Native American friends say: ‘all women will feel it.’ This stayed with me and I began choreographing Mining the Moon. Tom Moore shot the film over a weekend in 2017 at Ballet Arts Studio in Beacon, NY
I begin choreographing with music that moves me and then I searched for a composer for the film’s soundtrack. I met J Brooks Marcus and Jonny Taylor of OBSIDIAN SOUNDSYSTEM, who composed the soundtrack once the dance was finished. Then I edited the dances, and had it mastered by Mike Arginsky. So, it is a layered process and it takes time.
Choreography and editing are similar, so I approach the film as a separate entity and choreograph not for the stage but for the screen. I lose the original dance this way. It becomes a short film. Mining the Moon opened in the time of Covid and I submitted to International film festivals through Film Freeway. It was my great pleasure to find that Mining the Moon won Awards and Finalist positions.
Susan Osberg, choreographer, director, editor.
Cinematography by Tom Moore.
Dancers: Susan Osberg, Marika Blossfeldt, Alex Bloomstein, Catlin Cobb, Anna Brady Nuse-Marcus, Rain Saukus, Alexis Steeves.
Make up and moon lights: Cassandra Saulter.
Editor: Susan Osberg. Final edit: Mike Arginsky.
Music: OBSIDIAN SOUNDSYSTEM Composed, performed and recorded by: J. Brooks Marcus and Jonny Taylor, featuring: Liz Kelly – Vocals.