Rudi van Dantzig -- RIP

The Dutch dancer and choreography, Rudi van Dantzig died on January 19th. I wonder how many of my friends would even know who he was. I know him from his semi-autobiographical film, "Voor een Verloren Soldaat" (For A Lost Soldier). It told the story of his experiences with a Canadian airman who was downed in the Netherlands during World War II and kept incognito by Dantzig's community. A classic war story of courage and unity in the face of unspeakable evil with one twist: The soldier and he (an adolescent boy) shared intimate relations. Filmed in 1992, "For A Lost Soldier" remains a controversial film and properly so. Yet, to experience it is to fully understand the complexity of the situation. His need to share his story, no matter what you might think of it, was an act of profound courage.