“ROOMS,” a 20-minute cine-dance film made entirely in Arizona, will screen at Harkins Theatres Spectrum 18, February 24m from 6–7 p.m. The project features dancers from across the state, including five from Tucson. This short film represents a collaboration between local choreographers, filmmakers and designers to showcase Arizona’s arts community in a unique and engaging way.

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Presented by The Dance Experience AZ, “ROOMS” lives at the intersection of cinema and choreography. This intimate story is crafted specifically for the big screen, where framing, lighting, set design and sound move in step with the dancers.

From barn to mansion: The spark behind “ROOMS”

According to Rachel Delovino, producer of “ROOMS” and founder of The Dance Experience AZ, the idea of “ROOMS” began with a trip to choreographer Jordan Pelliteri’s mother’s hometown in middle America.

“Jordan sent me a few pics she had snapped and I immediately knew there was something there… a spark of a story,” Delovino says. “We originally had placed a curious young woman in a barn, as that seemed the most likely place for her to explore.”

But as development meetings unfolded with director Levi Elizaga and production designer Judi Longo, the vision expanded.

“We ‘discovered’ that the young woman was actually exploring a house, a mansion even, with lots and lots of rooms,” Delovino explains. “Each meeting became more lively as the spirit of collaboration took over until we had a script that looked nothing like it had originally.”

What emerged was a layered narrative told primarily through movement, supported by dramatic lighting, mise-en-scène and immersive sound design. The suspense, she notes, is intentional. “You can’t ask a person to sit in a dark theater without some suspense to keep them in their seat.”

Building the world, wall by wall

One of the biggest hurdles was space. Arizona filmmakers often cite the lack of large production facilities as a challenge.

In a stroke of perfect timing, 48 Labs in Peoria had opened just 15 days before production began. The team built an elaborate interior world with 44 flats forming 12 movable walls, some flown in and out between takes. The set design itself became choreography.

“It was an elaborate scheme,” Delovino says, “just as much choreographed by our art director as the choreography set on the dancers.”

For 18-year-old dancer Kasey Blackmon, the challenge was different.

“It was such a short amount of time to come together as an ensemble of dancers from various studios,” she says.

Yet that compressed timeline became a strength. “We were able to create real connection between us that carried the story through each room and into the final scene.”

What audiences will carry with them

At its core, “ROOMS” asks viewers to consider how the spaces we move through shape who we become.

Blackmon hopes audiences reflect on personal growth and possibility. “We are all products of our experience, and if we can recognize the successes and failures of the past, we can make a new path forward and design a future that brings with it compassion and creates hope.”

Delovino’s wish: “I hope audiences will see that dancers are natural storytellers and that a movie without dialogue can tell a story just as well, and sometimes better, than one bogged down in witty banter,” she says. “Cinema is not dead. The opposite is true. It is coming alive in our communities.”

After a full-house premiere in Phoenix in December, the Tucson screening is poised to introduce “ROOMS” to a new audience of film lovers, artists and anyone curious about what happens when movement becomes language.

Event details

• “ROOMS” — Cine-Dance Screening (20 minutes) at Harkins Theatres Spectrum 18
•  February 24, 6–7 p.m.
•  Features local Tucson dancers and independent Arizona filmmakers
• Tickets: Available via Eventbrite

To learn more, visit ROOMS.CINEDANCE, JORDAN and The Dance Experience AZ