Apr / 1
It’s April 1st 2013, and (NO JOKE!) KARL DAHL AND THE GOLDEN CUBE premieres today on KAI HARDING TELEVISION, and this week ON DEMAND! Watch the broadcast every hour on the hour all day today on KAIHARDING.TV beginning at 1PM CST, or click here to watch the show ON DEMAND in full blown HD gloriousness! Thank you for your endless support, and Happy April 1st!
Feb / 20
We thought you might enjoy a sneak peek at recent footage from our upcoming documentary about A LIGHT IN THE DARK, the new story ballet from Ann Reinking, Melissa Thodos, and Thodos Dance Chicago, which interprets the story of Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan through dance. Make sure to see the Chicago Premiere at the Harris Theater March 2nd & 3rd, and watch for our film FINDING THE LIGHT (Produced and Directed by Chris Olsen ) later this year!
(Choreography by Ann Reinking and Melissa Thodos, Stage Direction by Gary Chryst, Music by Bruce Wolosoff, Stage Lighting designed by Nathan Tomlinson, Costumes designed by Nathan Rohrer, Dances performed by Jessica Miller Tomlinson, Alissa Tollefson, Brian Hare, Jon Sloven, John Cartwright, Cara Carper, Caitlin Cucchiara, Annie Deutz, Josh Manculish, Kyle Hadenfeldt, Ray Dones, and Diana Robertson.)
Feb / 11
I suppose we’re not letting too many cats out of the bag, but in case you haven’t guessed already, we’re presently in production on a new film with Ann Reinking, Melissa Thodos, and Thodos Dance Chicago, this time focusing on their A LIGHT IN THE DARK story ballet, which interprets the story of Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan through dance. The documentary film (produced and directed by Chris Olsen) has been following the development of this spectacular one-act ballet since 2012, and from what we’ve seen, this new performance is in many ways even more theatrical than THE WHITE CITY! The ballet features two different casts… The first cast features dancers Jessica Miller Tomlinson, Alissa Tollefson, Brian Hare, Jon Sloven, John Cartwright, and Cara Carper. The second cast features Caitlin Cucchiara, Annie Deutz, Josh Manculish, Kyle Hadenfeldt, Ray Dones, and Diana Robertson. Both casts will be wearing costumes designed by Nathan Rohrer, and dancing in lighting designed by Nathan Tomlinson.
To see the ballet, you should definitely check out the PREVIEW PERFORMANCE this coming Saturday, February 16th the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts OR… the CHICAGO PREMIERE at the Harris Theatre, March 2nd and 3rd, 2013
In the coming weeks we’ll be posting more info here, but in the meatnime, check out the latest pre-release press from the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, and the Daily Herald … And the latest performance review from the Chicago Sun Times ! Also, keep checking back as we add more behind-the-scenes pics below… And if you haven’t already, make sure to check out the teaser trailer HERE!
Jan / 25
Great news!! The amazing THE WHITE CITY story ballet is back in Chicago Feb. 9th, 2013, this time at the Morraine Valley Performing Arts Center – Dorothy Menker Theater! It isn;t schedule to return for at least another year, so if you haven’t seen it, here’s your chance!
Jan / 11
It’s 2013, and Ann Reinking and Melissa Thodos are hard at work on a new story ballet, called A LIGHT IN THE DARK, based upon the early life of Helen Keller. The show, which features a wholly original score from composer Bruce Wolosoff, premieres in Chicago in this spring (At the North Shore Center for Performing Arts, and at the Harris Theatre), but here’s a quick behind the scenes peek at some early footage of dancer Jessica Miller Tomlinson performing in “Helen’s Solo“. For more information, please visit thodosdancechicago.org
Oct / 9
We’re thrilled to announce that Kai Harding filmmaker Chris Olsen has just been nominated for his third EMMY®-Award… this time for the dance documentary BENEATH THE WHITE CITY LIGHTS! The film, which documents the creative process behind the Thodos Dance Chicago story ballet “THE WHITE CITY”, was nominated in the “Outstanding Achievement for Documentary Programs – Cultural” category. The 54th Chicago/Midwest Emmy Awards event recognizes excellence in broadcasting achievements for the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and will be held on Sunday, November 18, 2012.
(Click HERE for the complete list of 2012 Midwest EMMY® Nominations!)
(Click HERE for upcoming broadcast and staging info!)
Oct / 2
BENEATH THE WHITE CITY LIGHTS will air THREE TIMES during the month of October (2012) on Indiana’s PBS-WIPB (channel 49.1), to support the Indiana debut of the the Ann Reinking / Melissa Thodos story ballet THE WHITE CITY, appearing at Ball State’s Emens Auditorium on Nov 9th, 2012.
The film, which presents an artistic insider’s view of the creative process behind the ballet through breathtaking performance video, intimate rehearsal footage, and revealing interviews with co-creators Ann Reinking and Melissa Thodos, is scheduled to broadcast on PBS affiliate WIPB (channel 49.1) repeatedly in the weeks preceding the stage performance, including:
-Thursday, October 25th at 11:30pm
-Tuesday, October 30th at 10:30pm
-Wednesday, October 31st at 3:30 am
Make sure to stay tuned for the latest information!
Aug / 16
With great honor, we’re proud to announce Chris Olsen’s newest film “boy.girl.drum“. We’ll add details as we can, but having just completed principal photography, we’re a little buried helping Chris cut and finish the piece! Even so, we’ve compiled quite a number of fantastic behind the scenes pics, and we just had to share, so here you go… enjoy!
May / 19
CHRIS OLSEN’S BENEATH THE WHITE CITY LIGHTS TO SCREEN AT 2012 LITTLE ROCK FILM FEST
Emmy Award®-winning filmmaker Chris Olsen‘s documentary on the making of the critically acclaimed story ballet The White City: The Columbian Exposition of 1893 ( featuring co-creators Ann Reinking, Melissa Thodos and the company of Thodos Dance Chicago) will make its Film Festival Premiere this Friday, June 1st, 2012 at 2:30 PM at the Little Rock Film Festival.
Beneath the White City Lights presents an insider’s view of the creative process, combining breathtaking performance video, intimate rehearsal footage, and revealing interviews with co-creators Ann Reinking and Melissa Thodos, and the talented dancers who bring this story to life.
WHEN:
Friday, June 1st @ 2:30pm
&
Saturday, June 2nd @ 2:30 PM
WHERE:
Riverdale 10 Cinemas #7
2600 Cantrell Road , Little Rock, AR 72202
501-296-9955
TICKETS and other info can be found HERE!
May / 18
Dancer Natalie Tursi’s on a mission …
TURSI
* Featuring: Natalie Tursi *
* Photography/Direction/Editorial: CK Olsen *
* Production Company: Kai Harding *
* Music: Kenya Nelson & Thomas Coster Jr. *
* Wardrobe: Beth Laske-Miller
* Hair/Makeup: Paula Weese
* Tech Notes: Filmed in 5K with Red Epic-X & Nikon Lenses
©2012 Kai Harding, Inc
Apr / 10
And now… the incomparable Sarah Schmitt…
Featuring: Sarah Schmitt *
Photography/Direction/Editorial: CK Olsen *
Production Company: Kai Harding *
Music: Devin Bronson *
Tech Notes: Filmed in 5K with Red Epic-X * Pro Prime Lenses.
Apr / 7
Working with dancer Robert McKee is always time well spent…
(Featuring: Robert McKee *
Photography/Direction/Editorial: CK Olsen *
Production Company: Kai Harding *
Music: Danny McCarthy *
Tech Notes: Filmed in 5K with Red Epic-X & Pro Prime Lenses
Copyright © 2005 - 2013 · All Rights Reserved · The Kai Harding Blog
Follow Us!