The Nashville Film Festival, April 16-23, 2009, will host the world premiere of WILLIAM SHATNER’S GONZO BALLET, a documentary co-directed and produced by Kevin Layne, of Forti/Layne Entertainment, http://www.fortilayne.com, in association with The Independent Film Company and Big Screen Entertainment Group.
The documentary chronicles the creation of “Common People” a ballet by famed New York choreographer Margo Sappington who was inspired to craft the piece after hearing Shatner in an NPR interview speaking about his critically acclaimed album, “Has Been.”
“Has Been,” written by Shatner and Ben Folds of the Ben Folds Five, was recorded in Nashville and produced by Folds in his legendary Nashville Studio, a studio that has recorded many music greats including Elvis Presley. The album features appearances by Henry Rollins, Aimee Mann, Joe Jackson, Adrian Belew and Brad Paisley.
The “Common People” ballet incorporates six songs from the album and was performed by the Milwaukee Ballet when it premiered in 2007. GONZO BALLET explores the genesis of this unique artistic collaboration by fusing the music, poetry, and dance of “Common People” with interviews of the creators, dancers, musicians and Shatner himself.
For more on the movie check out IMDB.GONZO BALLET
