Dance Film: Snowblind

Discover the Emotion Behind the Movement

This short dance film, inspired by Cathy Marston’s Snowblind, was made in late 2017, after the ballet had been choreographed but before its premiere at the 2018 Unbound festival. The film shows both the stark setting and the desperate love triangle between the three characters from Edith Wharton’s novel Ethan Frome, on which the ballet is based: Ethan, a farmer trapped in a loveless marriage; Zeena, his older, hypochondriac wife; and Mattie, Zeena’s beautiful young helper. Directed by Mark Kohr and featuring Principal Dancers Mathilde Froustey (Mattie), Sarah Van Patten (Zeena), and Ulrik Birkkjaer (Ethan), this dance film zeroes in on the emotion behind the movement of Cathy Marston’s ballet.

Marston’s Snowblind is part of SF Ballet’s 2021 Digital Season. It was performed as part of Program 05.

Header Image: A still from the dance film Snowblind, directed by Mark Kohr.