Film Review: Never Stand Still

By
Charles A. Smith

Ron Honsa's "Never Stand Still," Winner of Best Documentary at both the San Francisco Dance Film Festival and the Dance Camera West Festival in Los Angeles, is a splendid and stunning documentary about the art of dance and the internationally renowned mecca Jacob's Pillow, established in the 1930's by innovator Ted Shawn on a farm in the Berkshires. It continues today to be a hot spot for dancers around the world. The documentary details the stories of those who danced there and a part of a deep and rich heritage, including the legends Marge Champion, Merce Cunningham, Suzanne Farrell, Alvin Ailey, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Both workshop and theater, Jacob's Pillow provides the audience with an intimate look at its prodigies and promises, in an up close and personal way that astonishes and mesmerizes. Fast paces and energetic, the film moves the viewer through the course of the past and present in a way that only Ron Honsa could do. One of the quotes from "Never Stand Still" comes from Gideon Obarzanek:"Jacob's Pillow is know as the keeper." My own personal quote about it? "Never Stand Still is a keeper."