Meet Nadav Heyman

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nadav Heyman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nadav, thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?

I have a million ideas. But so does everybody else. The only thing that separates you from other dreamers is follow-through, that’s what I keep reminding myself whenever I’m tempted to leave a half-realized project behind. Instincts tell me what projects to pursue, but self discipline carries me to the finish line and ultimately propels me forward in life.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m the founder of dancefilmmaking.com and the producer of the Dance Filmmaking Masterclass. I started both endeavors because I love the combination of movement, cinema, and storytelling. There’s nothing else like it, and until recently, there was nowhere (online at least) for people to indulge in it.

Less than two years into our journey, Dancefilmmaking.com is the largest online platform for dance films in the world, with nearly 100 films and counting. Our collection is curated, diverse, and absolutely free! You can watch our Film of the Week, explore different categories, and filter films based on budget, geography, runtime, and even genre. It’s legit.

Earlier this year we presented the first-ever Dance Film of the Year award (“They Saw The Sun First” (USA) directed by Stefan Hunt). Our award ceremony was sensational. There were live performances by Lil Buck, Nina McNeely, House of Ebony, and other badass dancers. The artist Joseph Salerno hand sculpted our one-of-a-kind trophy. People from every corner of the dance world attended. It was perfect. We can’t wait for next year.

Our latest endeavor is the Dance Filmmaking Masterclass, a comprehensive online course that teaches students the 7 Steps of Dance Filmmaking:
1. Conceptualization
2. Pre Production
3. Choreography for the camera
4. Cinematography
5. Production & Directing
6. Post Production
7. What to do with your film once it’s finished

The class is for everyone, all levels, all backgrounds, all ages, all genres. It’s a 4-hour online course that will get you prepared to produce professional dance films, get into festivals, and unleash your creative powers. It has all the info, templates, techniques, and inspiration you need to go out and start creating.

If you’re on the fence, check out the Free Preview at Masterclass.dancefilmmaking.com.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Tough skin.
Genuine connections.
Guts.

That’s the three for me. Knowledge can be gained, skills can be gained, expertise can be acquired over time. You’ll find all of those once you find your passion, but if you can’t withstand rejection and failure, you’ll run out of steam fast. If you can’t find meaningful connections and collaborators, you won’t get very far. And if you don’t have the guts to do something scary, you’ll never do anything scary, which means you’ll never do anything great.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking for collaborations.
If you’re interested in taking the Dance Filmmaking Masterclass and have a question. or can’t afford it, or want more info, don’t hesitate to reach out.
If you want to find collaborators for your next dance film, join our Dance Filmmaking Community through masterclass.dancefilmmaking.com. Don’t worry, it’s free.
If you want to join our team at dancefilmmaking.com and help pave the future of dance, send us an email and tell us a little bit about yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: masterclass.dancefilmmaking.com | dancefilmmaking.com
• Instagram: @dancefilmmaking
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dancefilmmaking
• Other: Shoutout to my DF family:

  Genna Moroni – Creative Producer
  Cheryl Mann – Curator
  Sinclair Emoghene – Curator
  Andrea Bracamonte – Content Manager
  Lorraine Evanoff – Finance Director
  Maddy Leitner – Social Media Coordinator

  Another big shoutout to my Masterclass team:

  Nick Conroy – Director of Photography
  Nicole Spring – Production Coordinator and Advisor
  Choreographer – Cacia LaCount
  Dancers – Cacia LaCount, Hope Spears, Montay Romero
  Production Assistant – MJ Kean
  Special Thanks – Jesi Le Rae, Sage Price, Anabella Casanova, Mimoda Studio, Dave Gamache, Yael & Ofer Heyman

Image Credits

Main Image – Amanda Booth
Step & Repeat Images – Owen Scarlett
BTS Images – Cheryl Mann