Justin

The vertical rock formation El Capitan in the Yosemite National Park rises majestically into the sky. With its almost 1000-meter high granite face, it is considered the Eldorado for climbers. Although there is a hiking trail to the summit, every year climbers from around the world try to reach their destination by the fastest possible route. Some of them paid for their search for adventure with their lives.

Cyrill Lachauer is a passionate mountaineer and has already climbed the rock on various routes. During his stay in Yosemite Valley, he met the queer park worker Justin, who connects with the landscape in a completely different way from the climbers. Lachauer filmed him in women's clothes, rising up out of the tall grass at the feet of El Capitan, and then dancing to imaginary music. With graceful movements he frolics around the rock, almost embracing it and becoming one with the site. With his dance, he explores the limits of his body in a different way and represents an alternative to the traditional notions of masculinity that dominate the valley.

Justin joins a group of dance films, like that of Esel and The Rain Dancer. They all are characterized by the pursuit to establish a connection with the landscape through movement, music and ritual. – Cornelia Gockel