Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters

Directed by Rosalynde LeBlanc, Tom Hurwitz

Release Year: 2020
Running time: 90
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Subjects: Dance, LGBTQ
$11.97 - Classroom Rights
MSRP: $19.95
$349.00 - With PPR
$499.00 - With DSL
$499.00 - With DSL and PPR
MSRP: $599.00
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Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters brings to life the creative process that culminated in choreographer-dancer-director Bill T. Jones’s tour de force ballet D-Man in the Waters, one of the most important works of art to come out of the AIDS crisis. In 1989, D-Man in the Waters gave physical manifestation to the fear, anger, grief, and hope for salvation that the emerging Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company felt as they were embattled by the AIDS epidemic. As a group of young dancers in the present re-interpret the work, they deepen their understanding of its power – exploring what is at stake in their own personal lives in order to commit and perform it successfully. Through an extraordinary collage of interviews, archival material, and uniquely powerful cinematography, this lyrical documentary uses the story of this iconic dance to illustrate the power of art and the triumph of the human spirit.

Winner of a 2024 Peabody Award!

Reviews

“Critic’s Pick! Passionate and moving… an unusually lively documentary experience.”

- Glenn Kenny, The New York Times
 

“Four stars! A celebration of the process of creation.”

- Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com
 

"Goes to the very heart of the vital role art plays in our society during times of social crisis."

- Henry Louis Gates Jr.
 

“This gripping ode to creativity and to the resiliency of the human spirit… is a definitive ‘must-see’ for every dancer.”

- Mikhail Baryshnikov
 

"A kaleidoscopic portrait of an artist that simultaneously taps into the personal and political dimensions that inform the creation of art."

- Beatrice Loayza, The A.V. Club
 

A dynamic portrait of the function art has in our lives and the transformative impact D-man in the Waters can have on dancers and audiences alike.”

- Radheyan Simonpillai, The Guardian
 

Fascinating, moving, and precious to behold.”

- Jude Dry, Indiewire
 

“It’s a fertile idea, beautifully executed.”

- Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
 

“Lyrical and expertly paced, Can You Bring It feels like the work of a choreographer.”

- Rachel Gerry, POV Magazine
 

“A surprisingly emotional look at how a piece forged amid the pain of one era can speak to later eras.”

- Tim Murphy, The Body
 

“An engrossing examination of dance, love, and loss—and the power of art to move through pain.”

- James Kleinman, The Queer Review
 

Awards

Official Selection: DOC NYC, Frameline

 

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