SYNC premieres at CINEDANS FEST 2021

SYNC, with music by Kasia Głowicka, choreographed by Pim Veulings and directed by Robin Coops premiered on 27th March 2021.

In connecting dancers scattered across the world, SYNC explores the line between coincidence and compulsion 

Self-shot by a cast of ten dancers scattered across eight countries and seven different time zones, SYNC – which premieres later this month at the 2021 Cinedans FEST – is a new short film born of a global pandemic.

“You think about someone and suddenly they call you. It feels like telepathy. Is that coincidence or is it synchronicity? It always fascinated me and once I started to look for it, I saw it everywhere,” explained SYNC director Robin Coops.

“From flocks of birds to molecules to musical notes – at certain moments, things just fall into sync. And when I look at the world today, I see how we are all separated by this pandemic and yet simultaneously building a collective memory. That’s the inspiration for SYNC.”

Choreographed by Pim Veulings, we see the globally disparate dancers of SYNC briefly drawn into synchronicity by a musical score from composer Kasia Głowicka, only to revert to their autonomous individual states as the music recedes.

“For me this is like quantum physics. Thoughts are a physical, chemical thing, so there’s a scientific element, it’s not just mystical. The movie feels physical: it’s about pulsation and vibration, physically separated people being taken over by the same thing,” said Głowicka.

Last year’s coronavirus outbreak derailed plans to shoot SYNC on location in the Netherlands, so the creators pivoted to an agile solution which saw Coops and Vuelings provide remote direction and choreography to dancers as far afield as NYC and Finland. 

“That made it more real, a co-creation. It was brave for them and brave for us,” said Coops.

The Cinedans FEST  at the Eye Filmmuseum (and online) in Amsterdam, Netherlands runs until 28th March. 

About Robin Coops

A multidisciplinary artist from the Netherlands, Robin Coops studied directing at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts before obtaining Master’s degrees at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and the Netherlands Film Academy in Amsterdam. 

His work integrates different artistic disciplines to create a new whole and frequently focuses on the dichotomy between the natural and the technological. Via his M31 Foundation, he has produced and directed films, operas, concerts, installations and VR experiences.

About Kasia Głowicka 

Award-winning composer Kasia Głowicka creates musical scores for film, television, opera and theatre. She has received awards from the European Commission, the French Ministry of Culture, the Polish Ministry of Culture and the International Society for Contemporary Music.

A graduate of the Wroclaw Academy of Music in her native Poland, she undertook postgraduate studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague before going on to complete a PhD in music at Queen’s University Belfast. Today she resides in The Hague, where she lectures International Creative Business students at the Inholland University of Applied Sciences.

About Cinedans FEST

Cinedans FEST takes place in the Netherlands annually and celebrates dance film as a genre and art form which synthesizes the media of dance and cinematography. At Cinedans FEST, the emphasis lies on choreographies which are created specifically for the camera and on special film adaptations of existing dance performances.

Cinedans FEST also features a selection of special documentaries and retrospectives. Approximately 60 films from all over the world are screened each year. In addition to the film programme, Cinedans FEST organises readings, debates and workshops for professionals and other interested parties.