Nik and Murray: The Dances of Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis (1986)

In 1985 director Christian Blackwood embarked on a documentary project about his landlords and neighbors at 115 Bank Street in Manhattan, Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis. The project resulted in a beautifully intimate depiction of the two and how they exist within their creative and personal partnership. Murray Louis first joined Alwin Nikolais at Henry Street and quickly became an important innovator in the Playhouse Company (later called the Nikolais Dance Theatre), acting as Nikolais's lead dancer and longtime collaborator. Christian Blackwood accompanies Nik and Murray during a season of performances of new work, both in the U.S. and abroad. "Nik and Murray: The Dances of Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis" is a lively and informative portrait of the two choreographers in which they reveal their insight into dance and their own unique way of creating work.