Commedia Fantasia

Commedia Fantasia, a dance film, is a fantasical odyssey of the human condition. The three Heroes represent all of humankind in time. The various locations where the film was shot represent aspects of time.

"The entity in which we exist helps aspects of our humanity to come forward or to recede. No matter what "tribe" we are from, we are, all of us, the same. What governs our actions are the same basic needs. That we have been able to withstand whatever catastrophe that has befallen us, is a testament to our human condition. The fact that we still exist is the comedy, not the tragedy, of humankind. No matter how far into the future or past that we imagine or examine, we continue to exist--to be. Therein is the comedy and the odyssey that is Commedia Fantasia."1


Luni-Matto (The recluse)

S/he is the inventor in all of us. Fearful of people yet intelligent, s/he becomes absorbed in thoughts and ideas, and brings forward brilliant discoveries, sometimes in adverse conditions.1

Played by Lionel Walsh, assistant professor at the School of Dramatic Art, University of Windsor.

The costume is lit by hundreds of LEDs, which flash in a flowing pattern, symbolizing energy moving throughout the character's body.

The Luni-matto scene was filmed inside a Ford casting plant.



Pictures from the opening gala:

1First two images and marked text by Gina Lori Riley Dance Enterprises.