Vince Beggs has directed and produced a documentary film featuring Macarthur Award and two time Tony Award winning dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones. Beggs’ film, “In Collaboration with Bill T. Jones, Reading Mercy and the Artificial Nigger”, was accepted this year as an official entry in the Capital City Black Film Festival and the Long Beach International Film Festival.
The film documents Mr. Jones working with the California State University Long Beach Department of Dance to produce the West Coast Premiere of his landmark piece– a work inspired by the Flannery O’Connor short story–that transcends boundaries as it blends dance, literature and race.
The performers, all CSULB students, worked with the university faculty, Mr. Jones and members of his company for 5 months to perfect the material presented at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center.
Photo by Stefano Paltera
