"Joy" video by Madeline Rackerby, Dancing Earth News
"Joy" video by Madeline Rackerby
Dancing Earth News
August 31, 2020
“Joy”
JOY emerges as a ‘ Citizen Commission ‘ - coming from the mind and heart of the wondrously creative Alexandra Riggs Stivala who befriended Rulan when they were teenage ballet students at Marin Ballet, California. Their friendship endured and Alexa sponsored this uplift of artists to uplift the world at this time when transcendent artistic expression and creativity will be what allow us all to reimagine a more balance and joyful world.
Edited by her beloved niece Madeline who has worked as a film documentary intern for Dancing Earth Bay Area projects, we are all so proud to offer this as a collective smile!”
Video by Madeline Rackerby
In ‘Joy’ the dancers of Dancing Earth embody and meditate on what it means to experience joy. They share personal, private expressions of transcendent celebration. Although they dance separately, Dakota, Natalie, Ciera, Justin, Raven, and Lumhe ride the same vibration of energy as they ruminate on joy. This video was commissioned by Alexa Riggs and created by Madeline Rackerby. Rackerby has previously collaborated with Dancing Earth for crowdfunding and short documentary videos.
Madeline Rackerby grew up in Davis, California. At a young age she was a follower of the feminist fashion-blogger Tavi Gevinson, and devotee of John Waters, sparking an early interest in fashion, poetry, and film. Working with local musicians, dancers, and non-profits Madeline’s DIY approach to filmmaking is based firmly in community, independence, and empathy.
Her recent work includes both narrative and video-collage based practices. Glamour, the performance of gender, sexuality, climate change, and the construction of persona are themes that run throughout her recent work. Working with community members, Madeline finds strategies and styles that emerge from her collaborations. Her 2020 super 16mm short film Queen of The Night is a feminist interpretation of the character of The Queen of The Night from Mozart's The Magic Flute and received an award from the Kamil Media Awards at UC San Diego. clubbing while blood runs in the streets, an experimental video work that combines animation, webcam streams, and performance looks at the microcommunities of zoom ravers during 2020’s quarantine.