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DANCING
A look into the power of the government and the
power of the media.
by Brenda Kahn and Jen Lindner
photos by Debra L. Rothenberg
At
first glance Candace Corelli and Juli Berg might appear like two
club kids that somehow lost their way amongst the decades. The shiny
cat collar, the floor length denim skirt, three inch heels, tube
tops…even their manner and speech give little evidence that these
two women are responsible for some of the most high profile pop
culture visuals streaming into main stream America; Pepsi, HBO,
Marilyn Manson, Seven Dust and the Back Street Boys to name a few. |
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The
two have made their mark on the film and entertainment industries
as professional editors. But for Candace and Juli these careers
are only the backdrop for their visions and aspirations as filmmakers.
Since their first days as collaborators in 1986 at the School of
Visual Arts in New York City, the aspiring directors have continued
to create film in their own original style.
Their first feature was the now B-movie classic, "Funkybutt",
a story about an aging one hit wonder Disco Roller queen. A film
reflecting the "trash" mentality of American society. They went
on to make "Grace Has Mace"
(with co-director Patrick InZetta), a New York study in violence
and victimology, where the victim turns vigilante. And "The
Bike" chronicling the travels of a bicycle though many peoples'
lives; "like the dollar bill that gets passed along," whose subtext
speaks of the ongoing struggle of living in New York. In addition
to these bigger pieces, they have worked on many short films and
music videos together.
Last year they incorporated their company XLS Productions and their
latest endeavor finds them in a new phase of their partnership,
working on their first documentary, "No Dancing Allowed",
a politically charged expose shedding some light on the sudden enforcement
of the "Cabaret Laws" under the Guilliani regime in New York City.
WOMANROCK:
What did you think of film school? Did it prepare you for
the film industry?
Candace:
It was kind of a bizarre place…when you go to school for
filmmaking you don't know who's full of shit and who's not until
the second or third year. When they really start making films.
Juli:
It was also very male-dominated. They'd bring a camera into
the room and every guy in the class would be on it, surrounding
it, like "Oooh, the camera!" I wasn't going to elbow my way up to
the camera.
WOMANROCK:
Do you think filmmaking is male-dominated in general?
Candace:
Yes, it is … The film industry is made up of mostly male
directors. They look at us and they're like "oh, rock and roll chicks."
We've found if they see our work before they meet us it's usually
a much better thing. Because then they just look at the work, and
they like it or they don't like it.
WOMANROCK:
Do you see editing as a "day job" or as a stepping stone
to being a director.
Juli:
Editing is good practice. If you work on a poorly directed
project it makes you see what not to do, but it's good practice
to make the job the best it can be. If you work on a well directed
project you can be very creative with the footage, but either way
it's still not your material. When you're directing, it's your own
project. And you're operating on a certain level, but there's all
this stuff underneath you're tapping into, and you don't even realize
it. We chose film because it most imitates life. You know there's
motion, there's time. It's always about just trying to figure out
life -- (laughing) but at the same time being aware that there's
always something funny about it.
Candace:
Usually what people say when they see our movies is that
they're very entertaining on the surface and then there's a very
disturbing subtext underneath. There's always a lot of argument
about what's really going on.
 WOMANROCK:
Tell me about the project you're working on now?
Juli:
We're doing a documentary about the enforcement of the cabaret
laws in NYC. It's the first documentary we've ever done.
WOMANROCK:
So why do you think these laws are being enforced now?
Juli:
Well the demographics are changing in New York. We think
the Guilliani administration is using the law to target bars they
consider deviant. They started with the gay bars and now they're
hitting the rock clubs.
Candace:
It's about corruption. It's very expensive to get the license,
there are zoning issues involved with it, and it's all about control.
What I think is kind of bizarre and disgusting about it, and the
documentary will go into this, is it pushes clubs into the manufacturing
district - you know, who wants to go the meat packing district?
Juli:
Am I such a degenerate that I have to go where it's unsafe
and there's no one around just to dance? It makes it seem so peripheral
- like it's a bad thing. You bad people!
Candace:
If you make it illegal it pushes the industry underground
and it becomes more dangerous.
WOMANROCK:
Have you been able to interview anyone who is working to
enforce the laws?
Julie:
When we contacted the Department of Consumer Affairs they
wouldn't answer any of our questions on film and we needed to file
under the freedom of Information Act to find out the location of
where most of the busts have been concentrated. They've mainly focused
on the East and West Village where a lot of the gentrification is
taking place.
WOMANROCK:
So the documentary is mainly political in nature?
Juli:
It is political, but people get very emotional about these
issues. It's about not being able to express yourself. We want to
celebrate dance, to show the beauty of dance, to ask - "How could
this be illegal?"
WOMANROCK:
How does it work, I mean what is the definition of illegal dancing?
Juli:
Officially, "Three or more people moving in synchronized fashion."
There's this law called the open flame law, so if you have candles
on the tables, you could be shut down. At a place called the Lakeside
Lounge, a cop walked in and asked, "Got a permit for these candles?"
Candace:
It's very against the music culture, too, it's hit the music
industry really hard. Record companies can't get a good venue for
a band that's just coming up, because all these places are closing
down.
WOMANROCK:
Do you think these laws are curtailing live music shows?
Candace:
It's just so weird, everywhere we'd go there was always
somebody dancing to the band and now there's just a circle around
the stage of tables and chairs, that's what bars do now. That's
why all these lounges are popping up. (Laughing) Sit your fat ass
down and have a coffee, it's real good for you…And if you go to
see a band and you can't dance, how horrible is that for the band?
We have friends who are musicians and they get so depressed when
people are just standing there.
Juli:
It's getting into a quality of life scenario. The East Village
has changed dramatically since I first moved here. It used to be
a place where you could have cheap rent and do your art and go out
and get inspired. Now you go out and it's like you're in an episode
of Friends.
WOMANROCK:
It seems like you are very connected with the music scene
as well as the film scene. Have you done a lot of music videos for
bands you admire?
Juli:
Definitely, but there is politics everywhere...The last
video we shot was for the NY punk band L.E.S. Stitches. The song
is "Down the Drain". In the video we show the band getting spotted
by surveillance cameras and then getting busted for postering, jaywalking
and brown bagging by gangs of undercover cops. It's a take-off on
the movie "The Warriors". Their goal is to get back to Coney
Island High, a rock club that has since been shut down - in large
part due to the cabaret law. MTV wants the video, but they want
us to change some parts. They never get busted in the video, but
MTV wants them to get caught by the cops. It's such corporate bullshit.
The whole point of the video is how NY is "so safe" that these stupid
blue laws are now being enforced because the cops got nothing better
to do. We think there's too many cops, it looks like a police state
around here lately.
WOMANROCK:
Do you think part of that is due to the influence of the
media?
Juli:
Yes definitely and people are living vicariously online
and through the television. I think it's too much information and
not enough experience, in a way. People aren't experiencing life
and that's what I think is happening in New York. People don't go
out! They don't go out and socialize. They get all their information
from the media. What to wear, where to go that's cool, what shows
to watch.
Candace:
Even the "Village Voice" and "Time Out" are all like; "Camel
Lights presents 'Where you should go out.'" What does a cigarette
company have to do with where you should go out?
Juli:
The media is powerful but you can use that, like this documentary
we're making where people who are never heard are going to be. That's
what's great about it. All these corporations know how to use the
media but we do as well.
Candace:
Juli and I collaborate and we do a lot of different stuff.
We're trained to do everything to make our own films; we're very
comfortable working together because we did so much together in
school. We like to make fictional, narrative films. We would never
have thought about doing a documentary in a million years. The thing
is we love to dance, and we just don't understand why we can't do
it. That's how we came to do it. You know, (bright smile) we have
a camera!
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_________________________________
Watch REALMEDIA* clips of :
Funkybutt
by Juli Berg and Candace Corelli,
XLS Productions Inc. ( 1990 )
The
Bike by Candace Corelli,
XLS Productions Inc. ( 1996 )
Grace
Has Mace by Juli Berg and Patrick InZetta,
XLS/PJI Productions Inc. ( 1996 )
Down
the Drain Directed by Juli Berg and Candace
Corelli,
XLS Productions Inc. ( 1999 ) - for NG Records
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_________________________________
For more information regarding the documentary or films by Candace
Corelli and Juli Berg contact them at xls@interport.net.
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_________________________________
Jen
Lindner is a freelance writer living in New York.
Brenda Kahn is a New
York recording artist and the editor of WOMANROCK.com
Debra
Rothenberg is a New York based photographer and photojournalist.
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