Music for ex-millionaires, 2012

Recorded on-site at the Andrew Freedman Home’s Grand Ballroom and Library, Music for Ex-millionaires addresses the social and economical history of the site, using dance as an image of human engagement. The video aims to reconstruct activities that took place at the Home eight decades ago by reenacting dance lessons popular in the 1920s, including the Charlerston and Waltz. The process of learning these movements reflects the essence of human spirit empowered throughout the community. The soundtrack features “top hits” from 1924, the year the Home began operating as a way to capture the memory of its first residents -individual or couples that had once thrived in high culture and refinement.

The artist is grateful to Stephanie Lynn Shapiro, Gene Eagle, Alvaro Congosto, Jodie Dinapoli, Manon Slome, Lia Zaalof, DanceWellNY.com, No Longer Empty, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, School of Visual Art.