PERFECTLY NORMAL FOR ME DANCES ONTO CENTER STAGE THIS OCTOBER ON AMERICA REFRAMED
Film documenting dance program for students with disabilities premieres on Tuesday, October 29, at 8 p.m. on WORLD Channel
NEW YORK (September 23, 2019) — Perfectly Normal for Me, a documentary celebrating dance, self-acceptance and inclusion, will have its national broadcast premiere this October on America ReFramed, the Peabody award-winning public television series from WORLD Channel and American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc). Directed by Catherine Tambini, Perfectly Normal for Me captures the vibrancy and inner strength of children and teens with physical disabilities pursuing their interest in performance and movement. An honest portrayal of the ups and downs of a challenged life, Perfectly Normal for Me will air on Tuesday, October 29, at 8 p.m. EST on WORLD Channel and online at worldchannel.org.
Through Tambini’s lens, audiences follow Alexandria, Jake, Veronica and Caitlin — students at the Dancing Dreams after school program in Queens, New York — over the course of one year as they prepare for a spring dance recital. Though difficulties arise, the students accept each challenge with grace and dignity, offering proof that desire, hard work and the support of a loving community help them gain self-confidence and enjoy working together as a group.
Perfectly Normal for Me also highlights the dedicated involvement of parents, teenage volunteer helpers and prima ballerina Jenifer Ringer, then principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, whose respect and candor gives them insight into reaching their goals.
“Viewers will be captivated by the dancers in Perfectly Normal for Me and inspired to pursue their own dreams, no matter their age or background,” said Justine Nagan, executive producer and executive director of American Documentary.
With a can-do spirit, the film subjectsbecome eloquent advocates for the powers of inclusion, respect and empathy — inspiring viewers to create a world where these virtues are perfectly normal.
“This is a film that, like WORLD Channel itself, aims to show both the transformative power of art and the communality we all share,” stated Chris Hastings, executive producer and editorial manager for WORLD Channel at WGBH Boston.
Perfectly Normal for Me is fully accessible and fully inclusive with audio description and closed captioning.
In addition to its television premiere, the film will be available for streaming on worldchannel.org, amdoc.org and all station-branded PBS platforms including PBS.org, and on PBS apps for iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast.
Perfectly Normal for Me was produced in association with Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) with Sandie Viquez Pedlow serving as executive producer for LPB.
Media Contacts
For interviews and special requests, journalists and reviewers may contact Erin Callanan at 617-300-3270 or via email at erin_callanan@wgbh.org or Alimah Boyd at 201-552-9239 or via email at alimah@cherylduncanpr.com.
About America ReFramed
America ReFramed is a co-production of the WORLD Channel and American Documentary, Inc.
America ReFramed curates a diverse selection of independent documentaries that brings to national audiences compelling stories that illuminate the changing contours of our ever-evolving country. Viewers will be immersed in stories that span the spectrum of American life, from the streets of towns big and small to its exurbs and country roads. The documentary series presents an array of personal voices and experiences through which we learn from our past, understand our present and are challenged to seek new frameworks for America’s future. America ReFramed is the recipient of a Peabody Award and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism. The series has earned several Christopher, Gracie, Telly and Cine Golden Eagle awards, as well as multiple nominations for Emmy, Independent Documentary Association, and Imagen Awards.
America ReFramed Series Credits
Executive Producers: Justine Nagan, Chris Hastings, Chris White
Supervising Producer: Carmen L. Vicencio
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America ReFramed Co-Producers
American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia arts organization dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation. AmDoc is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit: www.amdoc.org.
Based at WGBH in Boston, WORLD Channel tells stories that humanize complex issues. WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries and fact-based informational programming that helps us understand conflicts, movements and cultures that may be distinct from our own. WORLD’s original content offers a national platform to makers examining issues too often ignored by mainstream media.
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