We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sasha Reist. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sasha below.

Sasha, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful project to date was creating “Changement,” a short documentary the discusses the use of traditional gender roles in ballet. I made this documentary my junior fall in college for my Documentary Production class with my incredible film partner, Jackson Hayes. It brought more to my career than I could have ever imagined. It was my first experience creating a documentary short and taught me so much about not only film production, but storytelling. It put me on the map as a filmmaker in college; I got to go to multiple film festivals, including screening my film through the U of A at SXSW. It led me to my incredible mentor, Kerryn Negus, who has been a guiding light throughout my film journey. It gave me my great film partner, Jackson Hayes, who I continue to learn so much from and will be one of my best friends for life. Lastly, creating “Changement” emphasized my purpose in creating art- to use the intersection and combination of dance and film to shed light on queer stories and make the world a better place for not just LGBTQ+ folk, but for everyone. At the end of the day, instilling change to help the LGBTQ+ community benefits EVERYONE.

I am in the beginning of working on a longer adaption of “Changement.”

Here are some core details about the film.

Synopsis:
Changement is a short documentary exploring the experiences of two dancers, Cat Cogliandro, a nonbinary individual within the dance community, and Mae Lever, a queer female dance graduate student. Foundational to many other forms of dance, ballet has remained a highly traditional art form, with most of its’ movement and pieces revolving solely around heteronormative, cisgendered practices and labels. Changement touches on historical elements of ballet while opening up the discussion around more inclusive and welcoming language, stories, and narratives.

Credits:
Official Selections- 2022 Leeds International Film Festival
Official Selection- 2022 Loft Film Festival
Official Selection- 2022 Social Impact Film Festival
Nominee- 2022 National Academy of Television Arts & Science Student Production Award.

Director’s Statement:
I have been dancing since I could walk and am training to be a professional dancer. Dance greatly influenced my childhood and upbringing and I continue to see everything I do through a dancer’s lens. Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am constantly looking for ways to advocate for gay rights, to help change people’s perspective on love and gender, and to help broaden people’s understanding and acceptance of how people exist in society. When I created this film, I identified as a queer woman using she/her pronouns. I initially approached this film as an ally to non-binary dancers and wanted to learn more about their experiences within a gender-rigid structure. As I continued with the project, I began to see how these same issues also affected my identity and experiences, as well as everyone who is a part of the ballet world. While continuing to center the story of Cat (they/them), I saw the impact gendering in ballet has on other gender identities, and used the experiences of Mae(she/her) to represent my own perspective. Making this film has helped me discover more about my own identity. My current and more honest gender expression (she/they) was reflected subconsciously in this work.I started Changement with the hope that it would spark a conversation specifically within the dance community, but as the film came together, my vision expanded. I now hope that it strikes a chord with dancers and non-dancers alike, and for all audiences to recognize the universality of the problem.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am very grateful to have been immersed in the arts from young age. My parents have been in a band since years before I was born and they joke that it was my mom’s dancing at the steel drums while she was pregnant with me that inspired my dancing. They said I came right into this world dancing and therefore had no choice but to put me in a dance class at the age of two. I had the pleasure of attending The Ailey School’s junior division from second grade through when I graduated high school. I continued my dance training at the University of Arizona School of Dance and now am a freelance dancer in New York City. Creativity has always been at the root of my pursuit of art and as long as I have wanted to dance, I have wanted to choreograph. I have been choreographing small works since the beginning of high school and really delved into my creative visions in college. My work has been featured in Jamaica Dance Festival, Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts summer intensive, both as an emerging choreographer and an alumn of the program, University of Arizona School of Dance Student Productions, EMDOD’s Dancing Beyond and Bridge for Dance’s Uptown Rising, as well as multiple music videos. I received the prestigious Creative Achievement Award from the School of Dance my senior year of college. In my choreographic work, I love experimenting with artistic concepts usually reserved for film and playing with time and storytelling. I love looking at my works as live films that play with the audience’s perception of space and character.

I was also fortunate to be introduced to the world of film at the young age. My dad is also in film production and worked as a stage manager and director on Guiding Light. I grew up going to the CBS studios with him and seeing all the behind the scenes. He incorporated film and videos in many aspect of our home life and therefore introduced me to filming and video editing at a young age. A silver lining for me through the pandemic was it really pushed and expanded my film skills. As a way to figure out how to continue to showcase my dance work, I choreographed solos on myself and virtual dance pieces to create video projects. When I returned back to the university in the fall, the School of Dance commissioned me to film and create dance pieces for our faculty members to present in virtual productions. It was throughout all of this that I really honed my eye for dance video work. After graduating from University of Arizona in the spring of 2023 with a BFA in Dance and BA in Film & Television, along with my dancing, I’ve been working for Broadway Dance Center as a videographer on their marketing team. I am also a private contractor videographer for Dare to Be Films, Sass Class and Summer Fling. Through those and my own contacts, I now do a wide range of video work for a myriad of clients, from dance reels to dance performances, to concerts to artistic concept videos to event coverage to corporate media. I am also a freelance photographer that has vast experience in documenting concerts, theatrical rehearsals and productions and taking headshots. My work has been featured in publications such as the Caribbean News Outlet and Broadway World, as well as the Women’s Sports Foundations’s website and informational pamphlets.

I pride myself in not only delivering a high quality product, but for capturing the energy of a space, event or group of people. I believe that the secret to filming is looking and seeing, not just understanding the mechanics of a camera. When I enter an environment I am filming, I like to take advantage of being an unbiased participant that can see the whole picture. With that said, I still understand that I am not truly a fly on a wall. I contribute to the energy of the space and you get the best footage when the subject/client feels their best. I therefore strive and take pride in making the people I am filming feel as comfortable as possible.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It is such a privilege to get to spend everyday doing what I love. Being a creative surely comes with its hardships but I try to constantly remind myself of how lucky I am to be able to follow my passions. I wake up everyday excited for what is in store. Especially as a freelancer with a wacky schedule, I don’t experience Sunday scaries, I don’t pray for the weekend, I don’t dwell on hump day. Every day is another chance to do what I love and connect with other humans through art. It is also beautiful to be in a career that allows for deep and authentic human connection throughout a workday.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society can best support creatives by actively support creatives; by valuing their products physically and financially just as much as commercial and mainstream goods. We need more people to invest in non-commercialized work, artwork where the goal is not to sell something but to inspire people. We need to be putting more money into the arts from all the way up at the national government down to small school programs. The more we think of art as a lucrative career that will never make you any money, the more artists aren’t going to be able to sustain themselves and break away from that reality. As many memes and tweets on social media have reminded me, in times of hardship, society turns to art. It is vital to our survival as humans. I don’t think we can truly fathom a day without art- no music, no movies, no dancing, no art hanging up in buildings, etc. We need to treat creatives for what they are- essential.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: sasha.reist
• Other: Link to Changement:
  

  Link to So This Is Love:
  

  My choreographic work:
  

Image Credits

DSC05528: Dare To Be Films
DSco6029-2: Dare To Be Films
IMG-4338: Jackson Hayes
IMG-4672: Jackson Hayes
IMG-5540: Katie Mollison
IMG-5542: Katie Mollison