Becoming Violet paints colorful story

It’s not every day that you get to work on a passion project, creating work for the sake of art. But that’s exactly what CCAD alum Steven Weinzierl (Media Studies Time-Based, 2005) did with his video Becoming Violet.

The video for BalletMet has garnered more than 128,000 views since it was posted on the Columbus-based company’s Facebook page on Aug. 8, 2016. And, more recently, it won a 2017 Emmy award from the Ohio Valley chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. (You can find the full list of nominees here.)

The dance short also has earned attention from a number of media outlets, including Pointe Magazine and Broadway World.

“The video, which is a little over one minute and 30 seconds long, blends the movement of dancers with dramatic clouds of color thrown into the air as the performers leap and spin in an inky black room,” Amanda Etchison wrote in Broadway World.

“By the video's conclusion, a story of finding beauty in a chaotic world is told through the palette of bright hues that blossom in slow motion on the screen.”

Weinzierl said the spot is about combining abstract and human elements.

“It’s about showcasing the beauty of visual arts through anatomy, sound, dance, color, love, etc. Through these art forms, we take the viewer through a journey of emotions. X vs. Y, good vs. bad, love vs. hate,” he told Ballet Met. “It ultimately all concludes with an abstract representation of these opposing elements bonding. It’s a passion project, an art piece. This is a celebration of dance and film in its rawest form. It’s not a typical marketing spot. It was done for the love of the art form.