Larissa Zageris Interview about THE NEW RICHTER WALTZ

May 13, 2025

Larissa Zageris is a playful and powerful writer, filmmaker, and educator. She is the director, cinematographer, and editor of The New Richter Waltz music video.

What inspired the concept for The New Richter Waltz music video? Did a certain lyric or image lead the way for you?

LARISSA ZAGERIS: I’ve been a fan of Craig’s music since the PAS/CAL days. His voice and his songwriting are so cinematic to me, to say nothing of his arrangements. When I first heard The New Richter Waltz, the surprise got to me. I love the shock of that first “stop!” after the opening groove, and then how the music gets bigger and better. The music becomes more layered and addictive as the song’s heroine grows even more glamorously desperate to be great.

That moment near the song’s end, when Craig sings:

I don't know what to do anymore.

Can't run the thread or jump head-long from a trapeze bar

Sing for thieves, opera comique, “It Is So Easy,”

But at Jackson Prison I'll never do that again!

I perhaps relate to this moment a little too much, but I wanted to come up with something that could build to this moment of reckless, self-actualized release. At first, I saw literal stars in my eyes. Glitter explosions. The song’s subject, Rossa Richter, was a human cannonball, right? What else could I do? I saw a circus tent in my head and a full period piece to match. I live in New York now, but at the time, I lived in Missouri, and was wracking my head for barns and big tops to use in some wild way.

Champagne tastes on a PBR budget led me to focusing on the core of the song rather than the epic aesthetic of the circus. If Rossa Richter could fight tooth and nail to launch herself out of cannons, I thought a funny modern analog would be if a young lass out for a “hot girl hike” got seemingly overwhelmed by the arduous nature of doing it all for the ‘gram. There’s a moment where she feels like giving up — but then she takes a minute to breathe, to drink in the beauty of the world around her and her own innate goofiness. This brings her so much joy that she explodes into a literal dance of girly pop growth.

Can you share anything about your creative process for this video? Or your creative process with the choreographer and star, Taylor Hartman?

LZ: When I was in Missouri, I taught Acting and Screenwriting at Missouri State University. One of my former students, Taylor Hartman, is a great dancer and a very funny, natural performer. I thought collaborating with her on this project would be fun and rewarding, and darn it, I was right.

I knew that the natural beauty of our lakefront setting would pair well with dance. I wanted to do something that felt a little bit like a scene from a movie musical, and a little bit like a ‘90s music video. I wanted to lean into our lo-fi aesthetic, but also into the high value of Taylor’s dancing and the stunning natural setting. I showed her a lot of my favorite Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry videos, as well as scenes from Oklahoma, The Music Man, and Singin’ in the Rain.

I knew whatever choreography she came up with, I would need to know fairly well, so I could come in and out with the camera to help the move pop onscreen. I think that can be tough, to let someone in on a process like that, but we worked really well together to identify the big razzle-dazzle moments for me to highlight while shooting.

Taylor was so game for choreographing something that feels both spectacular and deeply personal. She’s as gifted a comic actor as she is a dancer. A dancer that can choreograph and nail comic timing and heartfelt humor, what a dream! I think Taylor’s use of these talents really gets the music video viewer onto her side quickly, and allows us to buy into her big ballet explosion all over a lakefront trail.

How did the setting of the lake and surrounding area inspire or impact this piece?

LZ: Fellows Lake in Springfield, Missouri is one of the most lovely places I’ve been. I lived in Missouri for a few years for grad school, just after lockdown lifted, and was filled with grief for much of my time there. It was hard being away from my home, in Chicago. Even back home, like almost everyone else in the world, I had spent years being cut off from family and friends. A lot of dear friends moved away suddenly during lockdown, without good goodbyes. In Missouri, making friends as the new late-30s “kid” in a small town wasn’t always easy. While I was there, my father suffered a lot of health problems and died. All to say, it was a heartbreaking bit of time.

Towards the end of my time in Missouri, though, I made a great little group of friends, and they took me to Fellows Lake. It’s obviously very beautiful, but it feels a little bit magical, too. I knew I wanted to go back there and make something. Maybe just to press it like a flower for myself, and for anyone else who may need it like I did: a visual reminder that love and rebirth are all around us, all the time. We just may need someone who knows the way to Fellows Lake to show us around.

What have you been up to creatively lately? What is to come?

I have been working on some fun projects with some of my writing partners, and am gearing up to launch Make-Out Point, my interactive horror comedy play. I’m also editing a short thriller-comedy film I also made in Missouri, and want to shoot something small soon here in New York. I look forward to finding my “Fellows Lake” of New York City.

We’re into the hot and sweaty thick of spring. What, if anything, feels spring-like about this song and video?

LZ: There’s something so sad and gorgeous about The New Richter Waltz, which I think is the essence of spring: growth through it all. Beauty through it all. All of this rebirth come hell or high water. Like “tears in rain” from Blade Runner, except “flowers in rain!” I actually think Spring can be a gross season, but it’s a necessary and precious one. In the video, our vlogger gal is better for toughing it out in the woods and dancing her way through the doldrums. In the song, Rossa Richter feels like she’s going to keep doing her big cannon ball run, for better or worse — but no matter what, she’s better for it. And that’s Spring, baby.

Artist Name: Larissa Zageris

Website: https://www.larissazageris.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LarissaZageris

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/larissazageris

Insta: @larissa_z

TikTok: @larissa_zageris

Taylor Hartman Interview about THE NEW RICHTER WALTZ

May 13, 2025

Taylor Hartman is a dancer, choreographer, and performer on the rise. She is the choreographer and star of THE NEW RICHTER WALTZ music video by Larissa Zageris.

What about this song and video makes you feel creative? What do you hope it makes others feel?

The song is such a fun concept, with fun historical concept. The choreographic process and the shoot were both amazing processes. There wasn't a time where I felt like I couldn't try something, it was playful and fun the entire time. I don't think I stopped smiling that entire shoot.

I hope it brings others joy, I hope that they see themselves in the daydream "dream ballet"-ness of it all. We've all been there, imagining ourselves in situations that are so much cooler than [insert situation that you're a part of, but don't wish to be a part of]. I also hope that it encourages more people to be honest on the difficulty of the hike they're inviting their friends on.

What inspired the choreography for The New Richter Waltz? Were you trying to tell a specific story with your choreography? Is it tonal? What was the lyric or vibe that led the way for you?

TH: When I heard about the song being about Rossa Matilda Richter, the first female acrobat to be shot out of a cannon, I was like "okay, here is a fascinating piece of history," and I basically started by reading everything I could about her. I wanted to see what inspired her, inspired Craig to write a song about her, just see what it was like to hold such a unique moniker. Getting into the song, the lyrics that really struck me were:

"the newspaper men / from the Graphic and Truth / to the Daily Citizen / they want you to stop!"

And

"But at Jackson Prison, I'll never do that again!"

Those two lyrics were moments that I felt were the soul of the song. Early on in the song, you feel the encroaching vignette of intense press coverage over this feat of female bravery, and then have a balance with a toned down, almost spoken line, a sentence of reflection.

I was also really inspired by the beginning and the end of the song. I wanted to bookend the choreography with those cute little heel-toe walks because I felt like such great, flowery, happy music didn't need any big flash to draw away from it. Small choreographic details draw focus into the music. That part always felt plucky and cute to me, sort of like if we were frolicking in those woods to just that part of the music, the woodland fairies would make themselves known and debate on claiming us as one of their own.

Can you share a little bit about your choreography process for this?

TH: When I was pitched the idea of choreographing for TNRW, of course, I went and researched the historical significance of this story, and was immediately swept away in that. I choreograph everything in my mind first. I'll play the song incessantly, imagining the perfect choreography for the scene. There's always lighting, costuming, a full house audience — I basically create and rewatch a dance film in my mind until I am set on the bones of the choreography.

Then I transfer the daydream to reality, and in this process, there were always times where you realize that the music is quicker than you thought, or that transition to the ground that was so elegant in your mind actually puts you on the wrong leg to work into the next movement. Making the daydream into a real piece of choreography is the hardest part, but digging out the diamonds in what you've created is incredibly rewarding.

What element of TNRW dance stuck in your head first? Or did the whole flow of things come first?

I knew I wanted to sing along to "But at Jackson Prison, I'll never do that again." The tonal and vocal shift of that moment in song immediately tracked in my brain, it was like "hello! I'm important!" and having that fourth wall break in the shoot was a fun way to bridge the gap between performance and our vlogger character.

How did the setting of Fellows Lake in Missouri (where this was shot) and surrounding area inspire or impact your choreography for this piece?

TAYLOR HARTMAN: When I was in the process of making this piece, I was staying with my parents for a bit over the summer, and Larissa was still in Springfield, so a lot of that early conversation about choreography was through watching footage. My parents' house has this little garage that faces the backyard, and a lot of those choreo videos were filmed out there.

I don't usually do site specific work, but something must've been in the stars to have me rehearse outdoors, and then the final project be shot outdoors. It was so fun to find ways to use the world around us. For example, sitting on that rock was a great way for us to not only get a stable shot of the ankle movement, but it was a great flow point with the story and how our character was feeling.

What was shooting the video like? Do you remember anything fun and/or challenging about the process?

It was the craziest, most exciting week of my life. We scoped out the location earlier in the week, and on shoot day, we woke up at about 4am, got hair and makeup ready, got some coffee and drove out to the lake to catch that sunrise. It was an early morning, but it made for some of the best memories. Midmorning, we found this cute vintage diner called Kady Korner right by the lake. We technically stopped in for an outlet to charge the camera, but we stayed for some food as well. Having breakfast food with everyone around us, knowing their day just started, but we'd had almost six hours of work under our belts was an interesting realization.

Larissa and I also coined the term "urban items," our phrase that we shouted when anything that belonged to us (backpacks, phones, tripods, etc.) was in the shot. We were in such a wonderful, rural area, and even though I was playing this vlogger, you obviously don't want to see our actual belongings in the shot. "Urban items" has gone on to encompass any item that you are holding. If I'm carrying a bunch of bags all in one trip, I'll usually snap a picture and be like "me and my urban items" or if I'm in a particularly Western looking outfit, but then put on big sparkly earrings or red lipstick, that would be some serious urban item usage.

What have you been up to dance-wise lately? What is to come?

I am currently a featured dancer playing Jamie King in MJ: The Illusion, a Michael Jackson tribute show in Branson, Missouri. I just performed my senior capstone project, "KING," (a film/dance hybrid presentation that was inspired by all of the art that is made about artists). In December, I will graduate from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance, and two minors, one in theatre arts and one in marketing! And then it is off to New York City to continue chasing my dream of being a professional dancer!

Where have you trained? How did your dance training help you with choreographing and performing this piece?

TH: Missouri State University. Pre-MSU, I trained at Dance Experience Performing Arts in O'Fallon, MO, under the amazing wings of Katie Strelzec, Emmeline Williamson, Annè Newscott, and Tiala Taylor. I was so grateful for this project to come along when it did, because I had just completed the second course in MSU's Composition series. Composition I and II are a pair of courses that all dance majors are required to take. Composition I focuses on the basics of how to create impactful choreography, and Composition II forces you to hone that skill.

I always say that Composition II is the "weed out" class, sort of the dance major's baptism by fire. We were submitting daily improvisation videos, researching choreographers, learning how to academically write about and discuss pieces of choreography, and we were presenting original works every single week.

When TNRW came around, Composition II had just wrapped up for me, I had just made my debut dance film, "Caesar on a TV Screen," and was jazzed to put some more dance on film! The Composition series of courses are the backbone of my choreography for TNRW, without the skills I learned in those classes, I wouldn't even be close to the choreographer I am today.

What do you hope this video does for the greater MSU dance community? The greater Missouri indie film community?

TH: I hope that it makes the other MSU Dancing Bears not only happy to see themselves represented in a fun video, but to encourage them to put yourself out there! I always tell the freshman dance majors that come in to take every opportunity, every audition, say yes to as many things as you can. TNRW was my professional choreography debut! If you asked me then if I was ready to create choreography for a music video, I would have said no, but I absolutely am so glad that I pushed myself and took the chance!

For the greater MO indie film community, my heart goes out to them. Missouri has such beautiful locations to shoot, and such amazing, talented people all around. I would say, to the creators, embrace it, have fun, lean into the enjoyment of filmmaking — people love seeing what other people love, if your passion and heart shine through the cuts and scenes, you're golden.

Artist Name: Taylor Hartman

Website: www.taylorghartman.com

All platforms:@tay.does.ballet

Craig Benedict Valentine Badynee Interview about THE NEW RICHTER WALTZ

May 13, 2025

Craig Benedict Valentine Badynee is an astonishing musician, plus the brains (and voice) behind the song, The New Richter Waltz.

What inspired you to write The New Richter Waltz? Is it about Andy Richter dancing, or…?

CRAIG BENEDICT VALENTINE BADYNEE: I happened to come across an image of a young woman perched on the muzzle of a gigantic cannon and was immediately intrigued to find out more. I spent an evening devouring everything I could find about her. I found out she was Rossa Richter, better known as “Zazel,” the world’s first human cannonball. Her act was so daring – and controversial — that it actually led to legislation banning child performers in the U.K.

She was only 17 when she started, feisty AF, and after public concern over the danger of her stunts, she was forced to move to the U.S. to continue performing her act. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the best of luck in the States. She had a pretty shitty stint with Barnum and Bailey, had some injuries, and then found herself performing comic operas on the prison circuit!

I need to do more research to see if there’s an Andy Richter connections — I do see some resemblance.

What element of TNRW got stuck in your head first? Which element do you hope gets stuck in your listeners’ heads?

CBVB: I’d been playing around with the chord progression long before I wrote the lyrics. The arpeggiated pattern was my feeble attempt to mimic Serge Gainsbourg’s Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais.

That said, my favorite part of the song is the third verse, which captures Rossa’s brash defiance and growing awareness of her situation as woman facing a bunch of powerful men:

I guess I'll move to the States

All these meddling men legislate what I'm great at

"They say you risk life and limb,"

Well, I don't believe them

"The way they look at your skin,"

Yes, that’s closer to the reason why they’d wanna pin me down

We’re into the hot and sweaty thick of spring. What, if anything, feels spring-like about this song?

Well, there is a certain SPRING-loaded energy to the whole thing — Rossa quite literally gets flung into the air.

What about this song feels like it’s bringing you back into your own music in a big way? Do you think it fits in a certain genre? Are you calling to mind a certain era?

Releasing music again has me talking about things like genre — with journalists, booking agents, and of course, friends. But honestly, I don’t feel like I’m working within any singular genre. Every time I sit down to write something new, I just follow wherever the Muses lead.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing this so long that I’ve moved past the exercise of “let me try to write a folk song,” or “this one should be a garage rocker,” or “I want to write something people can dance to.” Any of that could happen — sometimes all in one song. Everything I’ve ever heard has the potential to pop out during a writing session.

I’m basically a mishmash of gobbledygook, to be honest.

Aren’t we all. What have you been up to musically lately? What is to come?

CBVB: Over the past year, I’ve put together a seven-piece (!!!) band and released a couple of singles with Team Love – the label founded by Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and his longtime manager, Nate Krenkel. I’ve written and recorded ten songs (mostly on my lonesome) that I’m incredibly proud of, and I’m hoping to release them as an LP. No release date yet…but keep your ears pricked up!

Artist name: Craig Benedict Valentine Badynee

Links galore: https://linktr.ee/cbvb

Instagram: @cbvb

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cbvb

POSTSCRIPT

CBVB: My live band is called the Blanks, so if a promoter can fit it on a flyer I’m billed as Craig Benedict Valentine Badynee & the Blanks. For all released music it’s just Craig Benedict Valentine Badynee.

The LP — aka long player, aka album — will feature: The New Richter Waltz, Golden Country, Two Good Ears, Grumbling Bellies, I’ve Been in Trouble Before, Everybody’s Talking For Me, I Walked Away from the Firing Squad, Blackmailer, Blackmailer, Don’t Leave Your House to an Amateur, and Big Boy.