Music by Margarita Zelenaia will be featured in the upcoming film-ballet “Wild Turnpike”

Here is the production trailer video: https://vimeo.com/349955270

A few words from the author of the project Lauren Starobin, an extremely talented designer and dancer:

“The concept of this film came from a desire to be expressive in the art and craft of fashion design by using costumes as symbolic devices integral to the narrative of a story. In ‘Wild Turnpike’ the medium of dance serves as the language in which that story is told. The film follows a young woman on an Odyssey-like journey down a thickly wooded country road. In four intense vignettes, she encounters and dances with various surreal and colorful characters. All of whom manage to leave their “mark” on her as she ends each interaction by donning their “colors” – which are represented by layers of iridescent silk chiffon. The film is a work of surrealism. However, many of the interactions are auto-biographical and deal with problems such as bullying, co-dependence, loneliness, and self-discovery.”

The project has been a collaboration with a group of immensely talented and experienced creative professionals. It features a sweeping score by the contemporary composer, Margarita Zelenaia, choreography by Abbott Award Honorée Jenn Rose, editing by Emmy Award winner Michael Starobin and photographic directing by ‘Steps on Broadway’s resident videographer Jacob Hiss. The film features dancers Anica Bottom, Sanford Placide, Suzie Rzecznik, Alessandra Ramnarine and Lauren Starobin, with artist and performer Oleg Mindiak. The film is truly an expression of all involved.

The project uses excerpts from M. Zelenaia’s two works:

1. “Byzantine Chants”, sacred concerto for a solo cello (with Andrey Tchekmazov, award-winning cellist)
2. “I Believe”, Prayer for violin solo and string orchestra (Tatiana Galkina, violin, and the “Classics”, chamber orchestra with Maestro Adik Abdurakhmanov).