about this film

Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters is a feature documentary that traces the remarkable history and legacy of one of the most important works of art to come out of the age of AIDS –choreographer Bill T. Jones’s tour de force ballet “D-Man in the Waters.” In 1989, D-Man in the Waters gave physical manifestation to the fear, anger, grief, and hope for salvation that the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company felt as they were embattled by the AIDS pandemic.As a group of young dancers reconstructs the dance, they learn about this oft forgotten history and deepen their understanding of the power of art in a time of plague.

Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters goes to the very heart of the vital role art plays in our society during times of social crisis. The documentary examines both the creation of Bill T. Jones’ critically acclaimed dance, “D-Man in the Waters,” during the AIDS crisis, and its revival on a group of young students today. The film puts forth the notion that dance, or any great work of live art for that matter, if it is consummately created, will continue to activate the most elemental humanity and acute social awareness for generations to come. - Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Historian/Filmmaker

A deeply intimate look at how Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane fell in love and established a creative language and dance company; how the AIDS crisis tore through their lives and community; and how the work that was born of that brilliance and grief continues to hold, inspire, and animate current and future artists and audiences. - Claire Danes, Actor

This film was made possible in part through generous support from

The Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Ford Foundation, JustFilms.

Upcoming Screenings

educational licensing

Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters is available for educational licensing by schools, universities, organizations, and corporations. The film carries a particular resonance during our present global crises, providing insight into how to use art to make sense of these challenging times and inspiring courage and resilience in the face of adversity.

“The depth of this film is enormous…It’s a work of such great feeling, poetic beauty, and relevance in the times through which we are living.”

-        Andre Gregory, Director/Writer/Actor

Themes

African-American Stories

LGBTQ History

Dance

AIDS Awareness

Pandemic & Public Health

Community resilience

Creative process

Art & Social Justice

Gun Violence

Generation Z

first three photos from left taken by Eric Politzer

Co-directors, Tom Hurwitz, ASC and Rosalynde LeBlanc are both educators

and distinguished professionals in their fields of documentary film and dance.

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If you’d like to schedule a talk, Q&A, panel, or masterclass with Tom and/or Roz, either in-person or remote, Click here

buy “can you bring it” DVD & merch

Deleted scenes with D-Man’s family, the student company, and a history-making performance of ‘D-Man in the Waters” on the first Day Without Art are available only on the DVD.

"SOUL EMBRACE" (metal print)

by Jora Nelstein

Artist Jora Nelstein is a former dancer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. This acrylic and pen drawing onto a photograph was then printed onto 12×16 metal plate. “Soul Embrace” depicts a tender moment captured in the studio between Jora and her dear friend, Demian “D-Man” Acquavella. It resonates with imagery and symbolism, commemorating not only Demian’s life but all Jones/Zane artists who were lost to AIDS.

[Plate comes ready to be hung]

News & Updates

check out the press for can you bring it

“Critic’s Pick! Passionate and moving… an unusually lively documentary experience.” – Glenn Kenny, The New York Times

“Can You Bring It is full of vitality and energy, a testament to the power of art in the face of tragedy.” – Kimber Myers, Los Angeles Times

“A dynamic portrait of the function art has in our lives and the transformative impact D-man in the Waters can have on dancers and audiences alike.” – Radheyan Simonpillai, The Guardian

“Beautifully executed.” – Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal

“Four stars! A celebration of the process of creation.” – Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com

"A kaleidoscopic portrait of an artist that simultaneously taps into the personal and political dimensions that inform the creation of art." – Beatrice Loayza, The A.V. Club

“Lyrical and expertly paced, Can You Bring It feels like the work of a choreographer.” – Rachel Gerry, POV Magazine

“An extraordinary documentary that evokes a great dance performance inspired by the AIDS crisis and brings it forward to a period just before COVID and BLM changed the world again.” – Marc Glassman, POV Magazine

“Fascinating, moving, and precious to behold.” – Jude Dry, IndieWire

“A surprisingly emotional look at how a piece forged amid the pain of one era can speak to later eras.” – Tim Murphy, The Body

Twin documentaries spotlight dance legends Ailey and Jones - Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press

Thank You

For the financial help from the following:

Loyola Marymount University – College of Communication and Fine Arts, and the School of Film and Television, Valentine Romano, Tracy Smith, Dominick Romano, Louis Romano, Adrienne Price, Daniel Fain, Jeanine Shipp, Stephanie Gamble, Frank Lettera, Judith Boronson, Julie Madison, Darrah Carr, Roland Cox, and…

Copper Benefactors

Amy Quinn Suplina, Jennifer Howard, Thomas DeFrantz, Michael LeBlanc, Erin Thompson, Jennifer Calcagno, Vivian Ryan, David Karagianis, Elizabeth LeBlanc, anonymous, Patrizia Herminjard, Amy Woodson-Boulton, Mary Kay Clement, I-Ling Liu, William A. Richards, Mary Parker, Linda McCaig, anonymous, Anthony Crispe, Leah Gillman, Katherine Keller, Deena Gonzalez, Jen Chapin, Elizabeth DeMent, Jeffrey Rebudal, Solveig Santilliano, Grace Mangum, anonymous, Kristen Smiarowski, James Morrow, Emily Coates, Pamela Pietro, Maria and Anthony Ruggiero, Francis and Jessica Dillon, Michael and Eileen Quagliano, Doward and Helen Patterson, Sari Kingsley, Cynthia Siderman, Richard Renaldi, Jeanne C. Williams, Libby Wolf, Ronja Verkasalo, Howard Schranz, Christina Markham, Gail and Grant Showily, Rebecca Wisocky, Catherine Cabeen, Richard Mazza, Tiffany Reynard, Jora Nelstein, Margaret Paek, Dana Kalmey, Kenneth Moll, Cindy Donabedian, Paul and Marilyn Asmuth, Janet Lilly, Burton Visotzky, Mary Recine, Tommy DeFrantz, Heather Bourbeau, Marissa Wiley, Maya Saffron, Kenneth Moll

Bronze Benefactors $500 +

Gabrielle Gossner, Whitney LeBlanc, Sandra Chapin, anonymous, Amy Clement, Erika Loo, Jennifer Tipton, Jill Tane, Ayo Jackson, Sonja Kostich, Ralph Cole Jr., Judy Scalin, Diane Fitzgerald, anonymous, Colleen Thomas, Mark Randall, Brandi Norton, Vernon Scott, Roger Woo, Janet Wong, Marlow Fisher, Jeanine Shipp and Infiniti Dance, Gregg Hubbard, Michael and Jessica Stone, Terry Anderson, Richard and Joyce Norwood, John B. and Nelly Llanos Kilroy, Judith Flex Helle, Tonia Barber, Roxanne Kaimi, Robyn Rosenfeld, Carolyn Barbian, Nick Hutwitz, Sarah Gibson, Bryant Keith Alexander, John Tomlinson, Thomas Kielte, Sandra L. Van Male, Zachary Ordonans, Bridget Welty, Theresa and Lori Anderson, Miles Mogulescu, Raymond Dooley, Shari Blaz, Christopher White, Amy Bryant, Jamie Bishton, Margot McLean, Kim Worsencroft, Susan Rudich, Barry Rhein, Joseph Tillman, Heather McCall-Kelly, Sharon Kinney, Nancy Carter

Silver Benefactors $1000 +

Liz Gerring Radke, Eric Politzer, Jeff Berry, Jelynne Burley, Dancers Responding to AIDS (Denise Roberts Hurlin and Tom Viola), Eric Politzer, Jonathan Bowman, Ann and Damon Rago, Maija Garcia, Sarah Lutz, Arthur Aviles, Sean Curran

Sterling Silver Benefactors $10,000 +

 Anastasia and Tony Martin, Steve Hendel

Gold Benefactors $25,000 +

Platinum Benefactors $50,000 +

Karen Dial and the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation, Joan Bowman

Grants And awards

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Grant, The Ford Foundation, The Graves Award in the Humanities

Special Thanks

AbelCine – Mike Nichols, Sarah Abraham, Deborah Acquavella, Elizabeth Acquavella, Natalie Acquavella, Tony Acquavella, Dr. Bryant Keith Alexander, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The American Dance Festival, Alan Barker, Bjorn Amelan, Arthur Aviles, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Megan Blackburn, Hayden Blaz, Samantha Blaz, Samantha Bonello, Johari Briggs, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD), Reina Cabebe, Jennifer Calcagno, Kim Chan and the Harlem School for the Arts, Anna Chorneyko, Nicole Closson,  Eva Crystal, Sean Curran, Dr. Thomas F. DeFrantz, Adeline Desimone, Matthew Diamond, Halie Donabedian, Tina Dossa, Jeff Dupre and Show of Force, Durham Symphony Orchestra (North Carolina), Sawyer Eason, Cathy Eilers, Sydney Franz, Susan Freedman, Joanna Franco, Veronica Franco, Tara Frates, Glenn Gebhard, Goldcrest Post – Tim Spitzer, Lawrence Goldhuber, Jessica Green, Lois Greenfield, Kayla Hampton, Dana Hash-Campbell, Caleb Heller, Riley Higgins, Elly Hollenhorst, Gregg Hubbard, Orlando Hunter, Nick Hurwitz, Tom Hurwitz, Infiniti Dance Studio, Impact Partners (Dan Cogan and Jenny Raskin), Bill T. Jones, Carol Jones, The Joyce Theater, Danielle Kaimi, Roxanne Kaimi, Kathleen Kenny, Judy Kinberg, Rae Kraus, Heidi Latsky, Rhonda Laurence, Howard Lavick, Michael LeBlanc, Ming-Tzu Lee, Frank Lettera, Qiyuan “Yoyo” Li, Janet Lilly, Haley Loeffler, Loyola Marymount University, LMU Dance Department and Chair Damon Rago, Darren Maser-Katter, Brandon Mathis, Kyle Maude, Molly McBride, Betsy McCracken, Harry McFadden and the Purchase College Performing Arts Center, Peter J. Miller, Elisa Monte and Elisa Monte Dance, Sylvia Morales, Sean O’Neil, Anna Orfanos, John Osborne, Alex Pham, Irma Puzauskaite, Patrick Damon Rago, Justin Reiter, Rebecca Rigert, Mateo Rudich, Cynthia Ruiz, Shane Rutkowski, Maya Saffrin, Abigail Samson, School of Visual Arts, SocDoc MFA Program, Jeff Segal, Kaitlin Setzke, Show of Force Productions, Charisse Smith, Courtney Spouse, Judith Stuart, Charles Swanson, Nicole Taney, Sophie Thaden, Thorsten Thielow, Gigi Todisco, Tornado Design, Hailey Transue, Adam Uhl, Carol Walker, Kennedy Wheatley, Billy Yates, Yu Zhang, Christopher Zunner

And Special Thanks to our Student Benefactors

Qinyuan Yoyo Li, Chaney Briggs, Gabriela Santos, Doug Burkhart, Nicholas Burrage, Morgan Borrow-Williams, Richard Mazza, Samantha Fujita, Dannon O’Brian, Cairo Gere, Mariah Reives, Emily Ulrich, Rose Kazanowski, Yiannis Logothetis, Honza Pelichovsky, Christina Marushok, Kristina Voznick, Cailin Lorence, Camri Hewie, Emily Pavelka, Libby Wolf