D-Man: the biography of a dance
A documentary film about the life of a dancer, and the life of a dance. D-­‐Man: the biography of a dance will parallel the story of a dancer with the story of a dance. It will take the viewer on an intimate journey inside the life of Demian “D-­‐
Man” Acquavella and inside the life of D-­‐Man in the Waters, one of the most celebrated works of American modern dance. D-­‐Man was born Jerry Acquavella, the last child of six in a traditional Italian Catholic family. He was a flamboyant character, coming out as a gay man in the late seventies, then changing his name to Demian after the “blasphemous” character in the book Demian by Herman Hesse. D-­‐Man was the nickname Demian Acquavella was given in the mid-­‐eighties, shortly after being hired as a dancer with Bill T. Jones’ avant-­‐garde modern dance troupe. It was a loving moniker that the other dancers chose in honor of Demian’s superhero physique. But that physique began to diminish in 1988 when Demian was diagnosed with full-­‐blown AIDS. At the same time Bill T. Jones was embarking on his next choreographic commission – a piece called Waters which would be a rumination on the movement of water and wave action. Demian danced in early rehearsals but was soon sidelined by his illness. With Demian’s daily health struggle in close proximity, the choreography absorbed both the gestures of his AIDS-­‐stricken body and his indomitable spirit while facing certain death. Jones would eventually change the name of the dance to D-­‐Man in the Waters. In March of 1989, the dance premiered to standing ovations and near-­‐unanimous critical acclaim. That is until the night Jones decided to carry Demian on stage at the prestigious Joyce Theater. He was skeletally thin and unable to stand at the time. In the audience, alongside Demian’s family, was critic Marcia B. Siegel. In a review for the New York Press, Siegel referred to Jones’ decision to bring a dying man on stage as an act of “manipulation and self-­‐promotion” sparking a decades-­‐long firestorm that would rage around Jones about the role of art in times of crisis. This year, on the eve of D-­‐Man’s 25th anniversary, performances of the dance are ubiquitous, from the company itself, to college dance departments, to the distinguished Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Demian’s family returned to see the dance at the Joyce Theater almost twenty-­‐four years to the day since they saw his final cameo appearance. Those performances would garner the dance its third New York Dance and Performance Award (“Bessie”). D-­‐Man has proven its resilience, withstanding the retreat of AIDS from the daily discourse, to emerge as a dance that speaks to ageless themes of love, loss and the power of community. By interweaving the story of Demian’s struggles with an in-­‐
depth look at the dance, the film will examine the alchemy of this brief period when Demian’s waning life force both informed and interrupted the vitality of D-­‐Man in the Waters, leaving behind a way for one man’s spirit, and one of the world’s most important dance companies, to survive. Rosalynde LeBlanc, Producer/Co-­‐Director Michael LeBlanc, Co-­‐Director Sean Curran, Executive Producer Tom Hurwitz, Director of Photography www.d-­‐mandocumentary.com [email protected]