7Y98D unites two dynamic voices in the street dance community. Ouro Collective and Rauf “RubberLegz” Yasit collaborate with a team of highly skilled Vancouver-based artists to produce a thought-provoking project about climate change interpreted through an abstract lens. “Climate change is at the focus of this film,” says Ouro, who learned all the choreography over Zoom or through video clips, “and we must connect as a community during this critical window for action to prevent the effects of global warming from becoming irreversible.” 

The title of this film and the larger project was inspired by The Climate Clock, a public art installation created by artists Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd set on Manhattan's Union Square. The clock counts down the time left to avoid climate disaster.

“We filmed in some tough conditions. It was extremely hot and the air was thick from the smoke of neighboring forest fires,” says the collective. “We had to alter quite a bit of movement to adapt to the environment, so in a way, the choreography underwent its own type of natural selection.”

When Ouro first became aware of The Climate Clock there were seven years and 98 days left on the timer. This was back in the fall of 2019. Faced with this stark knowledge, Ouro was inspired to bring “the most important number in the world”—as described by the creators of the clock—to dance audiences. Through the Climate Clock Network, Ouro will have a timer of their own that will run throughout their shows this spring.

Co-director Jeff Hamada says: “It’s a challenge to make a film about how little time we have left to save our planet without it feeling preachy. Dave (co-director) and I wanted to present this film in a way that allowed the audience to connect to the movement of the dancers on an emotional level first and wait till the end to provide some context. The rotations that happen throughout the film are meant to be a reminder that the climate clock is always ticking. We tried our best to do justice to the beautifully layered work that Rubberlegz and Ouro Collective created together and hopefully it encourages people to go and do a little research.”

Co-director David Ehrenreich says: “It’s the first dance film I’ve made and I really enjoyed the unique collaborative process. I imagine it’s similar to adapting a play into a film; this live performance is being created and we got to go watch it and design the film around what you see at the rehearsals. Rauf approaches movement and the human body in such an idiosyncratic way—we really wanted to champion the exploration they were doing.

“For Jeff and I, our goal from a filmmaking perspective was to make a film that holistically conveyed an energy and emotion through constant concentric movement. A visual feast with one foot rooted in reality and another in the ethereal. I’m a tourist in the dance community so I appreciate Rauf and Ouro placing their trust in us.”