Lights, Camera, Action...

I can't believe it. We're finally starting. This weekend will be the shooting of our first two dances. What's been a dream is now becoming a reality.

Our first dancer is Jacques Nyunguru, of the Rwandan dance group "Ingeli." He is flying in from Georgia to do his shoot here in the DC area. We have two locations for him: Meridian Hill Park (if the weather is good) and the Performing Arts Center for African Cultures, if it is raining. Jacques preserves the cultural dance of Rwanda, and performs internationally. He is passionate about overcoming the tragic history of genocide and war, and bringing a message of peace.

Our Director of Photography, Henrik Meyer, and our First Camera, Yousuke Kiname, are joining us tonight from New York. The camera equipment has already arrived, and they are bringing with them the drone equipment to try out in the areas where that is permissible. They've been working hard to get their FAA certification for drone operation, passing the stringent exam with flying colors.

On Monday, we film the amazing Gallaudet Dance Company, whose choreography will "translate" the lyrics of the beautiful poetry of the "Ode to Joy" German lyrics into American Sign Language. Since 1955, Gallaudet's dancers have shared the unique ASL culture with international audiences. As the world's only accredited liberal arts university for the deaf and hard of hearing, Gallaudet has been a leader in breaking barriers since 1864.

We are open to having people join us as production assistants on our shoots; Contact Sarah Tsubata at joydancemovie@gmail.com to get the details.