Exaltation

EXALTATION is a feature film documentary spanning seventeen countries, six continents, all major religions and over a billion people as they reach to touch their god through the world-wide phenomenon of sacred dance. From Turkey to Hawaii, New York to Nepal, Zanzibar to France, EXALTATION circles the globe capturing modern day primal expressions of dance. It illuminates the acutely personal stories of believers whose lives have been transformed and their spirits uplifted. EXALTATION reveals stories of courage including Karen Arteaga who dances to the Virgin Mary in Peru praying to heal her two-year old son from leukemia, Amanda Standard in Queens, New York who dances to heal from a car crash and Santana YoungManAfraidofhisHorses from the Lakota tribe, who dances for her sick mother and deceased younger sister. EXALTATION restores faith with stories of strength from Wayne Butcher in the Australian outback, who is working to keep his tribal dance alive after the "white" churches outlawed his native Aboriginal spoken language. EXALTATION rejoices with Father Franck, a French priest who uses dance to re-energize and regenerate the dwindling followers of the Catholic Church. In India, EXALTATION celebrates Radhika Raje Gaekwad, the Maharani of Baroda, as she leads an annual 50,000-person Navratri dance celebration for nine days, raising awareness and protest of female abuses in India. These dances have come from the very beginnings of our human existence. They are deep and meaningful. It is why they still exist with us today. EXALTATION also encompasses the Dance ceremonies of Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism, American Indian, Vodou, Hawaiian, Hindu and Gospel. They are familiar, aspirational and healing. EXALTATION shows us where we came from and where we can go as humans as we restore our hope in humanity as One.