About this project

Gregg is an actor who has cerebral palsy. Tamar is a choreographer who has always been fascinated with the body’s ability to communicate and change. In 2008 Tamar saw Gregg in a production of Romeo and Juliet. She was captivated by Gregg’s Romeo. Although Gregg had never danced, Tamar wanted to choreograph for him. Tamar didn’t realize that cerebral palsy meant lack of balance, limited control over muscles, and incredible body tension. She didn’t realize that after a childhood of leg braces, operations, and physical therapy, Gregg lived under the fear of a dire prognosis: he would be in a wheelchair by age forty. Gregg never realized he had options.

For three years Tamar and Gregg dedicated themselves to a non-traditional exploration of Gregg’s body. They induced a deep involuntary shaking that released and realigned his deepest clenches. Connecting their bodies, rolling on the floor, addressed his fear of falling. Month after month, confusion with proprioception and proximity and identity issues forced them to invent new solutions. They knew they were going into uncharted territory. Cameras were documenting everything. At first they worked for the purpose of giving Gregg enough resources to dance. After the performance they continued because they were fascinated by the work. There were times when the frustrations felt endless. But the possibilities for transformation, mind and body, always remained limitless.

Funding from this Kickstarter campaign will go to taking our 200 hours (three years) of footage and making a rough cut of Prognosis of a Faun. So many parents of children with CP have contacted Tamar and Gregg to encourage them to make this film. It will reach communities that know the struggles of disability firsthand. For those who know nothing of being “different,” it reveals, through Gregg, that a lesion on the brain hurts less than a lesion on the heart caused by exclusion and ignorance.

Please help us meet our goal of $30,000, which will get us a feature length rough cut. Any contributions beyond that will go to the final cut of the film, including work on the sound and score, online correcting and marketing. Please help in any way you can. Our team will be so grateful and Prognosis of a Faun will get made, because of, and only because of, your support.

Check in for more new footage! —Including work in the studio and our trip to Harvard.

A Note About Our Thank-You Offers:
In addition to receiving thank-you offers relating to the film, those interested also have an opportunity to take part in Tamar and Gregg's body work experience—look for the specially marked WORKSHOP OFFERS. This may be of special interest to those who've contacted Tamar about learning more about this work.