Trash Dance

Full Frame Audience Award Feature 2012

NEW DOCS

Trash Dance tells the story of an unusual, creative partnership between a dancer, Allison Orr, and the men and women of the Austin, Texas, Department of Solid Waste Services. In the film, non-dancers contribute to choreographing a public performance based on their daily activities in order to demonstrate what workers and their machines do on the job: quotidian movements parsed into ballet. The film documents the yearlong collaborative process that led to a rain-drenched but utterly cinematic performance in front of a cheering hometown audience. Gigantic mechanical trash vehicles really can dance, both as graceful soloists and in a synchronized chorus line. We observe the live show through a filmmaker’s lens: Multiple cameras allow the end product to become a statement of individuality that supersedes conventions of “faceless labor.” Indeed, the workers who collect trash, yard waste, dead animals, and bulky items reveal their unexpected talents, ambitions, and responsibilities.  NK

Director

Andrew Garrison

Producer

Andrew Garrison

Editor

Angela K. Pires

Cinematographer

Andrew Garrison

Release Year

2012

Festival Year

2012

Country

United States

Run Time

68 minutes