REVIEW
Cat Dancers – Surprisingly Impressive

With a less than inspiring title and little available production information, Cat Dancers, a 75 minute documentary set to show in the LA Film Festival at the end of the month, does not evoke high expectations.  However within seconds of flickering to life upon the screen, the film’s vibrant visuals, impressive editing and awe-inspiring story slink seductively into the theater and hook themselves securely into the collective audience consciousness.

It is easy to think that a film about tiger trainers will be far from interesting. But within the confines of self-imposed danger and a truly unconventional lifestyle, Director/Producer Harris Fishman begs us to think differently. Weaving together a documentary that is every bit as entertaining as a Hollywood blockbuster film, Fishman couples the narcissistic charisma of Ron Holiday with his tragedy-riddled history to provide an aggressively intimate look into the dangerous and defiant lives of three famous tiger trainers.

In the late seventies, Ron and Joy Holiday had an adagio dance act that wowed the world.  For several glorious years, they lit up the stage, toured the world and rubbed shoulders with some of the industries best and brightest. For Ron however, taking to the stage with Joy wasn’t enough. He dreamed of something more, something greater, something dangerous.  He dreamed of dancing with exotic cats.

After putting together a cat act that quickly became more popular than their dance routines, the Holidays knew that with their blossoming fan base and an ever growing family of cats they could not continue this wonder of dream alone. Thus, in the late eighties the duo teamed up with young and handsome Chuck Lizza. Chuck fit in seamlessly with their unconventional family, easily becoming both the son the Holiday’s never had and a shared lover to both Ron and Joy. Seemingly living a charmed life full of tigers, success and love, tragedy struck in 1998 when both Chuck and Joy were killed by the trio’s white Bengal tiger, Jupiter.

Within the realm of animal/trainer stories, things are colored either black or white – Life is wonderful, smooth and full of commercial success or someone is dead.  With just two options, audiences have been conditioned to expect the worse, to expect events to turn sour and then drop into some sort of moral lesson - Animals should be allowed to roam free. . . We shouldn’t attempt to domesticate something that is naturally wild . . . Animals are neither children nor pets.  This is the story we have seen many times before and to expect Cat Dancers to hold to this tradition and cliché is reasonable  . . . reasonable but wrong.

Refusing to deliver any moral lessons and steering well clear of cliché, Cat Dancers narrows its focus to Ron - his life, his journey, his struggle, his undeniable love for the tigers he trained. The film doesn’t seek to sum up his experience in a nice little package of meaning and moral but merely presents the heart-breaking facts devoid of judgment, allowing a glimpse into a unique and logic-defying life.

Outside of a few choppy transitions, the pace, flow and editing of the film beautifully reflect and pattern the thought process of Ron Holiday himself. With invasive shots and limited breathing room, Amanda Micheli’s cinematography pulls the audience in close while Editor Alexis Spriac’s tight cuts foster intimacy between Holiday and the audience from start to finish.

Ultimately, Ron Holiday and, by extension the film, unwaveringly hold all attention.  With palpable humility and a genuine interest in displaying the intricacies of a tragic story, Director Harris Fishman’s Cat Dancers is a truly impressive, truly haunting documentary work.