Filmmaker Chip Curry

San Jose filmmaker and bluegrass musician Chip Curry’s documentary about Evo Bluestein’s elementary school folk dance week program will be screened on Wedneday, May 16 as part of the repeat of the NCBS International Bluegrass Music Museum Film Festival that was held earlier this year in Redwood City.

Evo Bluestein

The 3-hour version will be moderated by Michael Hall and held at the home of our gracious hosts Roger & Rosemary Siminoff in Atascadero beginning at 7:00pm. Your (RSVP) siminoff (at) siminoff (dot) net is required for this FREE NCBS event.

“American Folk Dancing — A Week With Evo Bluestein” examines the value of roots music and dance instruction for students in an era when arts education has been eliminated in many California schools. The documentary was shot at Buena Vista Elementary School in Walnut Creek. Bluestein is a Fresno-based musician and educator who has appeared at numerous California bluegrass and folk festivals over the past three decades. He began his music career as a young member of Fresno’s famed Bluestein Family.

The Bluestein Family

Producer & director Curry of Chrysalis Films has been making films for over 25 years. He has been experimenting with the art of moving imagery since his very first 16 mm project.  He believes that story is the foundation upon which all great visual media is based. “My greatest joy is building a story from the drama, and color I see in the fleeting moments of daily life and assembling it as an indelible piece of moving art.” This is his first project selected for showing at the festival.

Curry’s musical career started in Tucson, Arizona in the 1970s when, with his five-string banjo, he led the Summerdog Bluegrass, Mariachi, and Swing Ensemble to a ten-year stint as the Southwest’s premiere string band. He currently plays several hundred shows a year in the Bay Area for children, seniors, and general audiences.

Film Festival Information

Evo Bluestein leads a student dance.

Posted May 7th, 2012 by Michael Hall in Events |