Eruption / Regenesis is a dance film collaboration between composer Daniel Gall, violinist Laura Giannini, and choreographer/dance filmmaker Charly Santagado, and her company Mignolo Dance. The film accompanies the release of Daniel Gall's 2025 dance-fantasy album, Exit Paradise, which ends with the violin recordings by Laura Giannini. The album Exit Paradise is a programmatic work about a wander on his first pilgrimage to the City of Cults, where he joins the exclusive Cult of Paradise, and about his subsequent escape. At the end of the narrative, after he finally escapes from Paradise, a volcano erupts with Eruption / Regenesis, and the wanderer is called home to his mountain cult, his pilgrimage complete. This eight-part violin suite was written specifically for the purpose of creating this dance film. I had produced a number of dance films previously with my Project Screendance series, and this time I wanted to write a series of short dances as sequential art, and to have a violinist featured prominently throughout the film (conceptually, she's the volcano). Violinist Laura Giannini was on board from the very start, and I wrote the music with her in mind. Charly Santagado joined us later, after the recording was finished, and transformed the work, which was initially about light, into a piece about a volcano. Here's what Charly had to say about the film: "Eruption / Regenesis explores the myriad of ways diverse individuals react to disaster. The piece tracks the trajectory of an erupting volcano, and the choreography is informed by the dancers' own tendencies and coping mechanisms in the face of challenging circumstances." Dancers in order of appearance: Harry Winslow Isaiah Joao Paige Bodnar Ishita Mili Lindsey Matheis Emory Campbell Aanyse Pettiford-Chandler Louisa Miller Choreographer/Director: Charly Santagado Music by Daniel Gall Recorded by Violinist Laura Giannini Videography: Haven & Hazard

Project Screendance #23 At Last - July 2022 This month I worked with choreographer and screendance artist, Michaella Baron, on a set of two contrasting flute pieces recorded by flutist, Miguel Vargas. Featuring dancers, Gabrielle DiNizo and Michaella Barron, with camera work by videographers, Teymur Guliyev and Quinton Nennig. As always, music by Daniel Gall. Michaella had this to say about her intention: "At Last" is a piece about two souls finding each other again after time apart. A relatable story universally as we emerge out of a Covid world. Using emotional prompts and embodied movement choreographed by Michaella Barron both Michaella and collaborator Gabrielle DiNizo find solace once again in one another as two hearts become one. I hope you’ll enjoy our collaboration!

Project Screendance #22 The Grandmother - June 2022 For a while I was calling this piece, “The Grand Mother of the Sea,” and when I approached Finleigh Zack Dance about collaborating on a video, we both heard the ocean. The music comes from my Storied Dances for brass quintet, and it’s something I wrote about a decade ago, but then revised and brought back to life in the fall of 2021. The recording was done by Bruno Smith (playing all five parts!), and was mixed and mastered by Miguel Vargas. Choreography by Finleigh Zack Dance, featuring Alyssa Sartuche, and Tatiana Nuñez. Video editing by Toon de Melker. As always, music by Daniel Gall. Check it out!

Project Screendance #21 GRACE – May 2022 A bit of melancholy this time! For my May 2022 collaboration I worked with NYC-based dancer Chaery Moon, and filmmaker John Kim, on a piece called GRACE. The music comes from a reed trio (oboe, clarinet, and bassoon) of the same title, that I wrote years ago back in my Synchromy days, for a group called, The Vientos Trio. I wrote this piece at the end of a long, prolific creative period in my life, when I had reached a breaking point that would ultimately lead me to fleeing the grid, and changing everything. GRACE was a kind of lament for the end of all I had held dear for so long. It was grace in despair, and a precursor to letting go. Chaery Moon describes the work as an “emotional piece in which my personal journey delves into confusion, and unsettling but somewhat uplifting emotions, while the world faces darkness.” I hope you'll find some meaning in our collaboration.

Ducks Crossing - April 2022 I’m excited to share my 20th screendance collaboration! This month I worked with New Jersey-based Mignolo Dance on a new flute trio I wrote for the occasion. Audio recorded by flutist Miguel Vargas, duck-inspired choreography and directed by Charly Santagado, featuring dancers Eriel Santagado and Jess Michal, and videography by Haven & Hazard. As always, I’m your composer-host, Daniel Gall, reaching out to performers from around the world in order to collaborate on a new piece each month. Spring has come and ducks are back in season. So are flutes. We’ve got some great footage, check it out!

Something special this month! I'm excited to share my latest screendance collaboration, featuring figure skater, Justyna Plutowska, and clarinetist, Hannah Gobbett. As always, I'm your composer-host, Daniel Gall, reaching out to performers from around the world in order to collaborate on a new screendance project each month. This month's musical offering borrows again from my Oatmeal Counterpoint suite for two clarinets, which is something I wrote back in December 2021 with the specific purpose of video-making in mind. To my ear this movement really sounds like an ice dance, with a gliding quality that builds up and takes off. Check it out!