AMARGOSA

Dance, particularly ballet, is not generally associated with the desert or the aging body, but in this film they come together almost naturally in the form of the Amargosa Opera House, run by 75-year-old dancer-choreographer-painter-composer Marta Becket. Located in the ghost town of Death Valley Junction, population ten, and 25 miles away from the nearest town, the opera house is proof that if you put on a show, people will come. The opera house is also a testament to the creative spirit, as-since coming to the town in the 60s-Becket has not only covered the theater walls with murals, but regularly put on shows of her own brand of dance theater, playing to the murals before the live audience began attending. The film slowly builds a biographical sketch of Becket, telling us of her disappointments, sacrifices and achievements. Her life and art become a means of exploring creativity and the courage necessary to follow an artistic path.