We are so excited to release the official 2024 trailer for our film 🎻 💃🏽 🎶 A huge thank you to all our donors who made this possible. We continue to accept donations as we go forward. Please share prohairesisfilm.com
Our second award for Best Dance Film came courtesy of the Lady Filmmakers festival in September 2024!
We have received our first award from Toronto’s Experimental Dance & Music Film Festival!
Prohairesis Film
In November of 2021, Nora Williams of Ossia Musical Forum’s Red Riding Hood Quartet and Rebecca Arends of RAREdancework began collaboration on an artistic dance film entitled Prohairesis, set to Imogen Holst’s Phantasy Quartet, which is inspired by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus’ ideas surrounding the faculty of choice. If you’d like to support us and be a part of this project, please click here:
It is your own convictions which compels you; that is, choice compels choice.
—Epictetus, Stoic philosopher
Prohairesis is being co-produced by Nora Williams of Ossia Musical Forum and Rebecca Arends of RAREdancework.
The finished art film will be distributed globally to educational institutions, museums, galleries, and short film festivals, as well as to our generous supporters. Reach out to Nora Williams [nora@ossiamf.com] to learn more, support, and collaborate on this project:
The Creators
Nora Williams, lead producer and performer, learn about Nora
Rebecca Arends, co-producer, director, choreographer and performer, Rebecca’s website
Julia C. Liu, director of photography, Julia’s website
Keith Heyward, editor, Keith’s website
Mark Weathers, editor, Mark’s website
April Uhlir, brand consultant, auhlirdesign
The Dancers
for individual bios of these amazing dancers, please visit the Rebecca Arends website
The Musicians
to learn more about this talented string quartet, please visit Red Riding Hood
Our second film festival acceptance will be at the Lady Filmmaker Festival, Sept 25-30, 2024 in Beverly Hills, CA. Prohairesis will be screened on Friday, Sept 27 at 4:15pm in Program #4.
The Soundtrack
The piece Phantasy Quartet performed in our film was composed by Imogen Holst (1907–1984), daughter of English composer of Swedish origin, Gustav Holst. Imogen, like her father, was a musical educationist, conductor, and composer of folksong arrangements, and was associated with Benjamin Britten in the Aldeburgh Festivals.
Red Riding Hood Quartet recorded the Phantasy Quartet for the Prohairesis soundtrack at Soundmine Studios in Chicago on March 4, 2022.
We are honored to be the recipients of grants from the following sponsors, without whose generosity we could not create this project.
Musicians Club of Women
Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation
Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
Susan Berggren
Carol Kyros-Walker
Larry Simon
Larry K. Snider
James Sullivan
David Speer
Sean Curran
Amy Chen
Cailtin Trainor
Valerie Bertermann
Caroline O’Brien
Gabriela White
Renee Typaldos
Therese O’Connor
Donna Stephano
Fiona Barrett
Vanessa Ruotolo
Margaret Sheehan
Leslie Recht
Gina Ellison
Eric Wanger
Kathryn Typaldos
Katie Bennett
Marianne Caruana
Elisabeth Flores
Don Jenkins
Harry and Gwen Mirijanian
Dan Arends
Martha Arends
The D. R. Arends Family
Robert Arends
William Taylor
Dominic Ledesma
Dr. Stephen Malamud
Louis Chesney
Monte Cole
Brandon Williams
Denise Sabala
Mary Ann Carlson
Chesney Snow
Various anonymous donors
Gifts in memoriam:
Kay and Tom Williams
Shawn Quaid
Red Riding Hood String Quartet performing in Chicago’s Burnham Wildlife Corridor, inside the La Ronda Parakata sculpture.
We chose to perform at La Ronda Parakata for its organic quality.
Dancer Merryn Kritzinger
Prohairesis (Ancient Greek: προαίρεσις; variously translated as "moral character", "will", "volition", "choice", "intention", or "moral choice") is a fundamental concept in the Stoic philosophy of Epictetus. It represents the choice involved in giving or withholding assent to impressions (phantasiai). The use of this Greek word was first introduced into philosophy by Aristotle in the Nicomachean Ethics. To Epictetus, it is the faculty that distinguishes human beings from all other creatures. Read more on on Wikipedia.
In 461 B.C. when Pericles became the leader of Athens, he moved the treasury from Delos to the acropolis. A golden age started in Athens with great cultural and artistic attainment.
