Press / Reviews / Interview

Mating Dance the Movie

“If Cate Caplin were a three-year-old horse she would be well on her way to winning the Triple Crown. An award-winning dancer, a creative choreographer, and a dynamic director, Caplin runs on many turfs..."- Cynthia Citron, The Ira Fistell Show, KABC Radio 790 AM

“Lauren German stars in Hostel Part II. ... Justin Schumacher was hoping MATING DANCE could help him dance into his dream girl's heart."- El Paso Times Staff

An Interview with Cate Caplin

Q. Cate, you are a World Champion Adagio Dancer and Choreographer. Who have you worked with?

A. That's a big question considering all the years I have been at it......! I have been fortunate and blessed to have work with many wonderful teachers, coaches, directors, celebrity actors and world reknown performing artists - Hard to list everyone I've shared the stage with and collaborated with in different capacities but it ranges from performing for President Jimmy Carter at the White House, to being directed by Sidney Lumet in a studio film and Jerome Robbins in a Broadway show, to doing a play in NYC with Glen Close and William Hurt, to being the personal dance coach for David Hyde Pierce and teaching Kelsey Grammer and Patrick Stuart to rhumba, to choreographing for a Thai Princess, to being featured on television in the company of world champion skater Michelle Kwan and Gold Medalist gymnist Nadia Comaneci, to being a guest artist at the Kennedy Center with Kathleen Turner hosting the event, to dancing at the Paris Opera House with an orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein, to performimg with my professional dance partner at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC and the Hollywood Bowl accompanied by a world class Symphony Orchestra - The adventures and surprises that come along with working in the business never cease to amaze me...

Q. How does your background in Dance Choreography influence you as a director?

A. I am very much inspired and motivated by the "pictures" and the physical language of story telling - Having a dance orientation and a strong stage background also helps me be aware of flow and composition as well as balancing and orchestrating all the elements from lighting moods and colors, to appreciating the affect of specific costumes to really knowing how to smooth out transitions while working out snags and challenges of blocking and staging....

Q. Why did you choose a horror movie for your Directorial debut?

A. I have directed, produced, and choreographed over 200 productions involving many diffferent styles and moods - This is my first FEATURE film, but I have directed music videos and shorter film projects as well - I can't say I really CHOSE a horror movie in this instance - An opportunity was presented to write and direct a film and I was told that KEYSTONE was looking for a genre piece - I didn't really have a "calling" to write a vampire movie or a horror story per se but I suggested adapting a stage play written by Canadian playwright, Mark Stein, produced at the Rubicon theatre where I had been brought on as choreographer for the stage production. I enjoyed the humor, the characters and the dance elements in this particular story and I felt I could bring it to life for the camera adding an additional dance motif and thriller aspects to satisfy my personal areas of expertise, give the producers something more in line with what they were looking for and to make it all the more appealing to the distibutors - -

Q. What attracted you to Mating Dance? What is it about?

A. I loved the quirky, comical side to the story - I directed the stage version of Little Shop of Horrors years ago and I felt this story was very much in the style, tone and offbeat humor of the original black and white movie version of Little Shop so I instantly connected with it - It is not your typical thrasher movie or slice and dice horror film - The story is about a mysterious, "otherworldly" woman who enters the world of three other principal characters and how their lives are captivated, stirred up and turned upsidedown by her presence as she "dances" her way through their relationships... AND it's funny.... and to top it off, there's a tango!

Enter Site