Atlas’ exuberantly hip homage to a specific time and place — New York, August 1983 — is a dance “home movie,” a quasi-documentary that follows choreographer Karole Armitage and her dancers along the boardwalk of Coney Island and through the streets of Times Square.

Atlas’ energetic hand-held camera finds dance in the visual cacophony of Coney Island’s flashy signs and swirling rides, and in Times Square’s neon blaze. He spontaneously choreographs the lights and rhythms of these “islands” to samba and punk-inspired music; the virtuosic editing is a dance in itself. Atlas’ witty “docu-narrative” format, Armitage’s exhilarating choreography, and the vibrantly tacky visual milieu vigorously capture the garish, streetwise magic of a New York summer.

Choreography: Karole Armitage.
Diretor of Photography: Paul Gibson.
Music: Henry Fiol, Rabbie Burns and his Ticket Touts.