Film by Appalachian dance studies professor wins for Best Southern States documentary

BOONE, N.C. — “Sound and Sole,” a short film by assistant professor Cara Hagan, has won Best Southern States documentary at the Southern States Indie Fan Film Fest held in Biloxi, Mississippi. Hagan, who teaches in Appalachian State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, spent nearly 18 months creating the piece on local clogger and buck dancer Arthur Grimes.

“‘Sound and Sole’ features a man of color practicing a nonconcert dance form born of a colloquial nature, and the music is by local resident Trajan Wellington,” she said. “It shines a light on the rich African-American culture here in Appalachia.”

“Sound and Sole” is Hagan’s third documentary, and one that took quite a bit of planning, she said. In addition to coordinating logistics with her Appalachian film crew — AppTV General Manager Robert Gelber, Tom Hansell, associate professor in the university’s Appalachian studies program and co-director of University Documentary Film Services, and alumnae Susanna Kornegay ’18 and Molly Clay ’15 — she often had to physically locate Grimes.

“Arthur doesn’t text, so when we needed him, I’d give him a call or go downtown and start looking,” she said. “He owns his own moving business as well, so we needed to work around his schedule.”

Hagan also crowdfunded the film, raising enough to cover costs through an Indiegogo campaign during spring 2018.

After almost 18 months of preparation and hard work, the film premiered at the Boone Film Festival in November 2018.

Hagan said Grimes, who attended the documentary’s premiere at the Boone Film Festival, was pleased with the final product.

Hagan is the founder of the American Dance Festival’s Movies by Movers film festival, a biannual event that, according to the festival’s website, celebrates the “collaboration between the ephemeral art of live movement and the perpetual nature of film.” As curator of the program, she screens all submissions, allowing her to mark recent trends in American dance film projects.

She said the experience encourages her to share work that’s not typically seen on the dance film circuit.

Overall, Hagan has submitted “Sound and Sole” to more than 40 festivals around the country and has been accepted to five, including the most recent event in Biloxi.

“I’m excited to have this opportunity — to show the beauty that exists in Appalachia in different ways. I’m thrilled that we were able to bring the film to a festival and have our hard work recognized,” she said.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Boone Film Festival

An Appalachian Region Film Festival Born In Boone

Our High Country outdoor community is large, healthy, and vibrant. A few Boone locals decided it’s high time that we create an opportunity to celebrate the stories of adventure, environment, and culture found in the Appalachian Region. Have some great footage that you are excited to edit? Ready to get serious about shooting new footage? Have an interesting story to tell? Get some friends together and make some magic!

Learn more

Appalachian State University Documentary Film Services

University Documentary Film Services at Appalachian State University teaches, engages in and presents documentary work grounded in collaborative local and global partnerships. Photography, film/video, audio and narrative writing are used to capture and convey memory, life, research, theory and culture. Additionally, the program provides professional consultation to students, faculty and staff engaged in documentary projects; maintains an archive of campus documentary work; hosts workshops for the campus community; and coordinates screenings of both finished and ongoing documentaries produced by Appalachian faculty and staff, as well as visiting professional documentarians.

Learn more

About the Department of Theatre and Dance

The Department of Theatre and Dance is one of seven departments housed in Appalachian’s College of Fine and Applied Arts. Its mission is to facilitate transformative experiences for students and the public, which cultivate compassionate, creative and collaborative communities through theatre and dance. The department also offers coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Its dynamic co-curricular production program provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community and the region. Learn more at https://theatreanddance.appstate.edu.

About the College of Fine and Applied Arts

Appalachian State University’s College of Fine and Applied Arts is a dynamic and innovative group of seven academic departments, bringing together a variety of perspectives, experiences and real-world education to provide unique opportunities for student success. The college has more than 3,000 undergraduate and graduate majors. Its departments are Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance. Learn more at https://faa.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.