Meet Michelle Bernier of Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Bernier.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Michelle. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Sans Souci (loosely translated: “no worries”) was conceived one fine spring day in 2003 when Michelle Ellsworth and Brandi Mathis sat on the porch of a 1967 Marlette Mobile home in the Sans Souci Trailer Park in Boulder, Colorado, musing about the pleasures of viewing and creating dances for the screen. Quickly, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) and the University of Colorado at Boulder Department of Theatre and Dance, as well as artists Ana Baer and David Leserman, added their support to transform mere musing into a festival of dance cinema.

The festival ran for more than ten years before I got involved. I’m originally from Maine and have spent my entire career pursuing dance as a profession, as a teacher, choreographer, performer, and filmmaker. I came to Boulder in 2011, first joining some companies and teaching at some studios. Upon entering the MFA in Dance program at CU, I soon met — and fell in love with — Sans Souci, first as a volunteer, then as an usher, then an administrative assistant, eventually taking over the position of Executive Director (and thus, official ownership) around 2015.

Part of my MFA program included some classes and a couple of independent studies in digital media, video editing/production, and festival administration and curation. A long and detailed training process with my mentor, David Leserman, was a critical part of preparing me for this role. In fact, Sans Souci just wouldn’t exist without the years of dedication and meticulous care that David contributed. He will always be part of the heart of Sans Souci, despite his passing away last fall.

Since taking over directorship, I’ve been working to improve the festival in a few ways: increasing diversity and accessibility in terms of films/filmmakers, audience, and board of directors. Growing the number and types of events we host yearly, ramping up the amount of multimedia performance production, and generating a more robust online presence for the organization. That said, I’ve also tried to stay connected with and responsive to our fans. SSF has the greatest fans in the universe, and without their love for this form and desire to keep it alive in this area, we wouldn’t be here today.

We’ve started an Emerging Artists program, hosted a local-artists-only screening, and created an artist highlight series on social media. Really, we’re here to serve the filmmakers by providing them with an audience for their work… but that’s more complicated than it sounds. Since most folks have never heard of dance film (a.k.a. dance cinema, dance-for-the-camera, etc.), we really have to start by creating awareness of this unique art form, and building that audience from scratch. This is where my passion for the art form really drives my work. I think that dance cinema represents and manifests the connected hearts of dance and filmmaking — it lies where choreography meets cinematography, and that intersection is abundant with possibility.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Like anything that is a labor of love, there are, of course, moments that are sweet and moments that are sour. There have been screenings where no one showed up because of a snow storm. There have been events where every bit of technology fails, and I imagine that everyone in the audience thinks I have no idea what I’m doing! And of course, there is always the sweating out of the financial side of things– I always want to pay performers more than we really can, and that can be a heartache. However, if I’m really honest, 95% of my time on Sans Souci feels well spent and genuinely rewarding. I have a great team working with me and supporting me around every turn, and the knowledge that our fans really appreciate and love the work we bring them, so rallying is never too hard or too long a process. Plus I get to watch so, so much dance film from some of the best makers in the field, so who wouldn’t love that?!

We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema is a niche film festival specializing in dance cinema. We have a yearly call for submissions, and hundreds of artists from around the world submit their films to our panel of active dance filmmakers for curation, selection, and programming at screenings. With an expansive definition of dance and appreciation for highly experimental and interdisciplinary forms, this unique festival exposes diverse audiences to a variety of film, video, and performance possibilities. With sixteen years of annual festivals behind us, Sans Souci has exhibited over 400 works submitted by artists from Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, and USA. Our international tours have brought works to Mexico, Germany, Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, the U.K., and Brazil, as well as many cities around the U.S.

We are the only dance film organization of this kind and size in Colorado. We host between 8 and 12 local events per year, in addition to our Screening Partner Program which brings us to U.S. college campuses, and our International Touring Program. We have collaborated with other film festivals, art galleries, cinemas, and dance companies to create opportunities for artists from Colorado to perform as well as have their films screened. We’ve also worked hard on accessibility for the audience, creating connections with senior centers and Circle of Care to bring older adults to our shows, as well as screening Audio Described films for the blind and visually impaired. We have also offered lectures at local schools and teacher conferences to work to build a younger audience for this form and expose students to the collaborative and multimedia nature of dance cinema.

What were you like growing up?
I’ve been a dancer for as long as I can remember. Actually, one of my earliest memories is watching my older sister’s dance class from the waiting room, looking at the teacher, and saying to myself “I want her job. That’s the job I want to do when I grow up.” And it has never really changed for me… loving dance, and being passionate about spreading that love, is what drives almost every career decision I make.

I still do teach dance! In fact, I’m happily employed as an instructor, Tour Ensemble Director, and Wellness Director at Airborne Dance in Longmont. Sans Souci is part-time, and a side project (read: passion project, labor of love, etc.) while I make most of my living as an educator.

I’m also still a performer! I dance with Life/Art Dance Ensemble of Denver, a nonprofit dance company who creates professional contemporary showcases for the public, as well as performances for older adults in subsidized housing in the Metro Area.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sanssoucifest.org
• Email: honchos@sanssoucifest.org
• Facebook: facebook.com/sanssoucifest

Image Credit:
Jun Akiyama

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.