Summary:

A time vortex capable of taking you to the exact moment when life on earth began exists in a pile of rusty metal debris, just under a bridge on the west bank of the river. Origins is an immersive dance and music experience that invites you into the chaos of our accidental beginnings – it’s really a miracle we’re here at all. Filmed inside of a deconstructed wind turbine, Origins weaves you through the tumbling bodies of dancers and musicians as they try to find order and connection amidst prehistoric chaos.

This VR180 film is part of the Break to Build project being led by ProLab Dance and Hungry Mantis. Ten short dance films, captured using immersive film techniques, will document the artistic potential of the industrial debris and historic machinery left in Portland, Oregon’s landmark shipyard, Zidell Yards, before it is developed into part of Portland’s modern skyline.

Director Bio:

Laura Cannon is a dancer, choreographer and educator who has spent over 20 years exploring site-specific work and innovative ways to create dance beyond the traditional boundaries of a stage.

She is the founder and director of ProLab Dance, a site-specific project collective based in Portland, OR. She was recently named as an Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellow (2023). Laura served as a Dance Wire PDX Ambassador 2021/2022, contributing her energy to helping Portland’s dance community stay connected and supported during the global pandemic.

She has received multiple awards for her short film, “Garden Bed”, including Best Film Shot on a Mobile Device at the Inspire Dance Film Festival 2022 in Sydney, and also “Medusa” including Honorable Mention at the Mobile Dance Film Festival 2022 at the Harkness Dance Center in New York.

Laura holds a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin and received the John Bustin Award for Conspicuous Versatility in the Arts from the Austin Crtic’s Table in 2006. She has performed with Sharir+Bustamante Danceworks, Deborah Hay Dance, and Blue Lapis Light, among others. She is currently engaged in a multi-year, multi-disciplinary, immersive film and performance project called Break to Build at the historic Zidell Shipyards in Portland, OR.