“Fusion” is a story that reveals the art of collaboration, the trials of the collaborative process, and the empowerment that comes from getting it right. The film follows Inlet Dance Theatre (a professional modern dance company based in Cleveland, OH) as they host Kapila Palihawadana (artistic director of nATANDA Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka) in a three month residency. Kapila came to Cleveland through the Creative Fusion program, an international artist exchange program run by The Cleveland Foundation. He then worked with Inlet to create a new dance piece with the company. As they began the process, the cultural and linguistic differences between them caused both parties to reexamine their approach, and led them both to a place of listening and respect in order to achieve something bigger than they could create independently. ‘Fusion’ purposes to reveal that process, and explores what happens when a culture of collaboration is embraced.
