The Dance of Reality: A Psychomagical Autobiography

About Jodorowsky and The Dance of Reality Film

Alejandro Jodorowsky was born in Tocopilla, Chile, in 1929. During his career as tarologist, therapist, author, actor, theatrical director, and director of cult films (El Topo, The Holy Mountain, and Santa Sangre) he developed psychomagic and psychogenealogy, two new therapeutic techniques that have revolutionized psychotherapy in many countries. Psychogenealogy served as the background for his novel Donde mejor canta un pájaro (Where a Bird Sings Better), and psychomagic was used by Jodorowsky in the novel El niño del jueves negro (Black Thursday’s Child). Both of these techniques are discussed and explored in his book Psicomagia (Psychomagic), in his autobiography La danza de realidad (The Dance of Reality), and in Métagénéalogie: L’arbre généalogie comme art, thérapie et quète de Soi (Metagenealogy: Self-Discovery through Psychomagic and the Family Tree), written with Marianne Costa. He has also written two books on the therapeutic application of the Tarot: La vía del Tarot (The Way of Tarot), written with Marianne Costa, and Yo, el Tarot (I, the Tarot).

The Dance of Reality, his first film since the 1990 release of The Rainbow Thief, was written, produced, and directed by Jodorowsky. An autobiographical film, it was shot in Chile in his childhood village of Tocopilla as well as Santiago and other southern Chile locations, with cameo appearances by the author throughout the film.

The film was shown at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and received rave reviews. The Dance of Reality will have its U.S. preview in 2014 at the South by Southwest Film Festival, its premiere in New York City, and will be shown in select cities throughout the United States.