About Rorschach
RORSCHACH Is An original dance film created by Benjamin Defaria and Reneff-Olson Productions featuring choreography by Rena Butler, Ethan Colangelo, Alice Klock, and Florian Lochner.
Filmed entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic, RORSCHACH explores a collection of fragmented scenarios designed to open up a dialogue about public perception of mental well-being. The narrative of the short film (runtime 6 min) is consciously left open for the viewer to interpret.
Mental illness is prevalent throughout humanity. It is something many people face the reality of living with and it affects all of us, whether it be directly or indirectly. Even though it is so common, many people do not or cannot receive the help that they need, due to circumstance and associated prejudice. The hope of the filmmakers is to provide their unique perspective and to help facilitate conversations about mental illness and mental well being through the medium of dance.
The conceptual origin of the film was inspired by the work of psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach who created the test many of us are familiar with today called the Rorschach test. (A test used to reveal the underlying personality structure of an individual by the use of a standard series of 10 inkblot designs to which the subject responds by saying what image or emotion each design evokes.)
Due to the limitations of filmmaking during the pandemic, it was not possible to work with any collaborators in person aside from Benjamin Defaria (co-director/performer) being filmed by Leonardo Cardelli (camera operator). All aspects of production, from the initial brainstorming, choreographic process, and location scouting to the filming, post-production, and distribution happened virtually.
We hope the film RORSCHACH inspires our audience to do further research on these topics. We have also included a short list of materials that we referenced for our creation process and online resources we would like to share:
“The Inkblots” - written by Damion Searls.
Meet the creative team
Creator, Co-Director, Performer
Benjamin, born in Ontario, Canada is a dancer and visual artist. His dance training began at The Walkerville Collegiate Institute for the Arts (WCCA Dance program) where he studied ballet, modern, contemporary, hip hop, and choreographic composition. In his senior years of highschool, Benjamin was asked to join the HNM Dance Company (Artistic Director Anh Nguyen) where he danced for two seasons. Benjamin continued his dance training in 2019 by attending HSPRO, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's professional training program (Artistic Director Alexandra Wells) and is now continuing his studies with Modus Operandi in Vancouver, BC (Artistic Directors David Raymond, Tiffany Tregarthen and Kate Franklin). Benjamin has also expanded his dance training having attended summer/winter intensive programs from a variety of dance institutions including: The Arts Umbrella International, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, TL Collective, and Modus Operandi.
Benjamin's performance repertoire includes work by choreographers including: Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Peter Chu, Adam Barruch, Ohad Naharin, Rena Butler, David Norsworthy, Johnathan Alsberry, Jenna Pollack, Ryan Mason, Ethan Colangelo, Florian Lochner, and Alice Klock.
Along with being a dancer, Benjamin is also a visual artist and an aspiring film director. In 2021, he made his film directorial debut releasing RORSCHACH, an original dance film he co-directed with Reneff-Olson Productions.
Co-Director, Director of Photography, Editor
Valentina, born and raised in San Francisco, CA, is a co-director of Reneff-Olson Productions, as well as a dancer and actor. Valentina has an extensive background working independently as a photographer, videographer, director, and producer. In 2019, Valentina co-founded Reneff-Olson Productions with her brother Alexander to serve as an all inclusive media production company for the performing arts. Reneff-Olson Productions has created several original films as well as multi-media for a variety of performing arts organizations including: Post:ballet, Berkeley Ballet Theater, San Francisco Dance Works, Dance FAR (For a Reason), Second Cast, San Francisco Ballet, The Australian Ballet, and San Francisco Dance Film Festival.
Editor
Alexander, born and raised in San Francisco, CA, is a co-director of Reneff-Olson Productions and a professional ballet dancer at San Francisco Ballet. He joined San Francisco Ballet as an Apprentice in 2011 and was promoted to the Corps de Ballet in 2012. Specializing in capturing the performing arts, he has been engaged as a photographer, videographer, and editor. Reneff-Olson Productions has created several original films as well as multi-media for a variety of performing arts organizations including: Post:ballet, Berkeley Ballet Theater, San Francisco Dance Works, Dance FAR (For a Reason), Second Cast, San Francisco Ballet, The Australian Ballet, and San Francisco Dance Film Festival.
CHOREOGRAPHERS
Rena Butler comes from Chicago, IL. She has danced in companies such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, David Dorfman Dance, Manuel Vignoulle/M-Motions, and The Kevin Wynn Collection. Butler trained at The Chicago Academy for the Arts. She studied overseas at Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan and received her BFA from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. As a choreographer, Butler has presented her work at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The New Orleans Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with Academy Award-Winning composer Terrence Blanchard, CHTV Stories in Switzerland, and more. Butler served on the consortium for Chicago Dancemakers Forum, and in 2019 was the recipient of the Prince Grace Award for Choreography.
Ethan Colangelo was born and raised in Toronto, Canada where he began his intial training at Canada’s National Ballet School and Elite Danceworx. He is now an alumni of the Juilliard School where he received the Hector Zaraspe Prize for Choreographic Promise. He has performed repetoire by Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Stijn Celis, Jose Limon, Mark Morris and has been in new creations by Roy Assaf, Stephan Laks, Miceala Taylor and Jasmine ElliIs, along with other creative artists. Colangelo has danced professionally for BODYTRAFFIC in Los Angeles where he toured with the company across America.
As a choreographer he has presented his work at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur, Juilliard’s Choreographic Honors Showcases, APAP 2018, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Colangelo was also one of nine choreographers selected internationally for the Copenhagen International Choreography Competition. Recently he has created work for the BODYTRAFFIC summer intensive, was selected as an Emerging Choreographer for Springboard Danse Montreal 2020, had a choreographic partnership with the 92Y in New York, created a dance film consisting of 70 dancers from around the world and choreographed a new work for Arts Umbrella Dance Company in Vancouver, Canada. Colangelo is looking forward to a new creation with Whim W’Him Contemporary Dance in Seattle this fall and is currently working on a duet creation with Stefanie Noll and Rae Srivastava, two current emerging artists with Ballet BC.
Alice Klock trained at numerous ballet company schools, Interlochen Arts Academy, and the Alonzo King's Lines BFA program. She joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2009 where she danced until 2018. She has choreographed for Hubbard Street, Whim W’Him, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, The Alonzo King LINES BFA, The Juilliard School, The Cambrians, Loyola University, Neos Dance Theater, Visceral Dance Chicago, and NW Dance Project's LAUNCH. She has been a winner of numerous choreographic competitions including Hubbard Street's International Commissioning Project, NW Dance Project's Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition, and Whim W’him’s Choreographic Shindig. In 2017 she was named Hubbard Street's Choreographic Fellow and in 2018 was named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch. In 2017 he founded FLOCK with Alice Klock. As FLOCK, Florian and Alice co-create and perform their own work, teach as a team, and produce shows and short films. They have choreographed for numerous institutions including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ballet Arkansas, the Goethe Institut, Adaptations Dance Theater on Maui, the USC Glorya Kaufman/Hubbard Street Summer Intensive, the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA, and the 92nd Street Y.
Florian Lochner trained at Ballettschule Malsam in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, and the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Mannheim, where he was the recipient of the Birgit Keil Dance Foundation scholarship. Lochner earned his master’s degree in the performing arts and joined Gauthier Dance Company in Stuttgart in 2011. He received a “Best of the Season” nomination in Germany’s “Dance for You!” Magazine in September 2013. He joined Hubbard Street in August 2015, and in the Fall of 2017 was named a Hubbard Street Choreographic Fellow. He has served as guest faculty for Hubbard Street’s Professional Program. He has choreographed work for Loyola University, Visceral Dance Chicago, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In 2017 he founded FLOCK with Alice Klock. As FLOCK, Florian and Alice co-create and perform their own work, teach as a team, and produce shows and short films. They have choreographed for numerous institutions including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ballet Arkansas, the Goethe Institut, Adaptations Dance Theater on Maui, the USC Glorya Kaufman/Hubbard Street Summer Intensive, the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA, and the 92nd Street Y.
CHOREOGRAPHIC CONSULTANT
Chelsea Bonosky is a dancer and visual artist based in New York City. She has the honor of working with Adam Barruch/ Anatomiae Occultii (Associate Director) creating, performing (live/ site-specific /film), and assisting teaching nationally and internationally. Chelsea spent many years performing for London-based company, Punchdrunk on their immersive theatre production of Sleep No More, and has had the privilege of working with Pavel Zustiak, Stephen Petronio, Gabrielle Lamb, Josh Beamish, and Sarah Elgart. She is an invited performer of the Margie Gillis Legacy Project and regularly participates in the research of Ms.Gillis' Conflict Transformation workshops. Chelsea is a Community Actionist with the Gina Gibney Dance Company- leading Hands Are For Holding School Assemblies utilizing dance to address bullying, equity, and choice in everyday interactions. She served as an Ambassador to Free Body Project (working at the intersection of dance and social justice), a teaching artist with ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), and a volunteer/independent fundraiser for Dancers Responding to AIDS. Her visual art is created in conjunction with Social Justice Advocacy- donating 50% of every painting sold to a social organization of the purchaser's choice. Celebrating the power of art to affect social change. Chelsea is currently getting her Master's Degree in Social Work from the prestigious Fordham School of Social Science.
