FRIDAY, JUNE 7 - 7:30 PM
with Douglas Sherman (The Loft) for Q&A
ONE NIGHT ONLY!

MAESTRO tells the story of a group of people finding refuge and reason for living outside the mainstream. New York City’s club scene laid the groundwork for what was to come in global dance culture, and Ramos’ turn-of-the-century portrait gives us a rare insight into this secret underground world. Featuring interviews with pioneering dance music DJs, producers and “founding fathers”, and centering on groundbreaking Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan, MAESTRO devotes equal screen time to past legends and contemporary acolytes of house. Opting for a more personal and candid approach, Maestro shows the true history of its people through a realistic creative aesthetic. Tracing the origins of underground dance culture, Ramos’ documentary is an honest portrayal of these sonic rebels, and the lives they lived and died for.

Part of JACK YA' BODY, programmed in collaboration with Alfreda's Cinema. JACK YA' BODY is an odyssey into the gritty world of underground disco and house-music dance culture through a selection of features, shorts, and found footage spanning NY-Chicago-Detroit in the 80/90s. Opening with Nicky Siano's LOVE IS THE MESSAGE introduced by Melissa Lyde, this program features talks with DJs Joey Llanos (Paradise Garage), Douglas Sherman (The Loft/Joy), and Tabu (Soul Summit). Film critic and 4Columns film editor Melissa Anderson will introduce Derek Jarman’s recently rediscovered WILL YOU DANCE WITH ME?, and we will be joined by award-winning broadcast journalist Mark Riley to close out the program following the final night of MAESTRO.