Dare to Move

New York-based Singaporean dancer and film-maker Joan Dwiartanto reflects on her time at Juilliard, working with some of the biggest names in dance, and turning her bold ideas into cinematic reality

- Ethan Kan

It is rare to find an artist with extraordinary talent and passion for one art form, and even rarer to find one with the flair for two. Contemporary dancer Joan (say “Joanne”) Dwiartanto has only in recent years found film‑making a fruitful creative avenue, but you wouldn’t guess it—the Juilliard graduate approaches the camera with the self‑assured vision and the attention to detail of a more seasoned director.

Based in New York, Dwiartanto recently ventured into the realm of dance films, a related but entirely different art form altogether. “I started off just wanting to put cool stuff on my Instagram,” the 24‑year‑old confesses. But the more she developed an eye for visual concepts, the more they itched to articulate themselves in longer pieces; so she finally invested in a digital camera. The result is Crying on the Island They Own, her debut short film released in 2022 that she co‑directed and choreographed. It has since racked up awards, such as the World Cup of Dance Video at the 2022 Saint‑Petersburg International Film Festival and Best Film at the Experimental Dance & Music Festival’s March 2022 Dance Festival.