In 2021, Butler premiered an original score for the 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari using the house 1949 Hammond Model RT organ with an opening prologue by dancer-choreographers Michelle Thompson Ulrich and Caleb Patterson. This season, Butler returns to the Hammond, joined by dancer-choreographer Alex Oliva, to create a new mysterious immersive experience that bridges the gap from 1903 to 2022 and explores our nostalgia for the past and anxiety for the future.

A Trip to the Moon (French: Voyage dans la Lune) is a landmark of cinema: the first science fiction film, a special effects bonanza, and an international sensation after its release in 1902. Inspired by a pair of Jules Verne’s novels, A Trip to the Moon is a highly satirical look at nineteenth-century science and imperialism and is widely regarded as one of the most influential films in history. This screening will feature an original score by Grammy-award winner Johnny Butler using The Visionary’s 1949 Hammond Model RT organ.

The Sunbather (2022) is a new dance theater work by Butler and Oliva (with costuming by Allison Dyke) that transports the audience into the bowels of an intergalactic starship. Using music by Butler and choreography by Oliva and drawing inspiration from Merry Shelly’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, The Sunbather immerses the audience in the story of a lone scientist who tinkers with a humanoid creation that suddenly comes to life and confronts its master.

Johnny Butler is a Grammy-award winning saxophonist, composer, audio engineer, dancer, and filmmaker. Over the years, he has worked with many of his idols, including Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule), Wynton Marsalis, The Levon Helm Band, Tune-Yards, Theo Croker, Kassa Overall, Joe Lally (Fugazi), and Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds.

Alex Oliva is a performer, director, choreographer and educator. Her creativity and captivating performance quality have influenced and inspired original works, live and on film, by The McKittrick Hotel, The San Francisco Symphony, House Of YES, Navarra Novy-Williams, Bill Hayward, BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance, and others. Alex regularly partners with saxophonist and mover, Johnny Butler, creating improvisational movement and sound stories that are performed at music venues, theaters, galleries, and other unconventional locations. Additionally, she is the co-founder/ co-director of emerging dance theater company, AnA Collaborations, whose works have been presented by The Tank, Gibney, Dixon Place, INSITU Site-Specific Festival, and more.

Not Silent films - A Trip to the Moon (1903 ) & The Sunbather (2022)

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