CRUTCH | A Film by Sachi Cunningham and Chandler Evans

CRUTCH chronicles the life of Bill Shannon, an internationally renowned artist, break dancer and skate punk, who wields his crutches as tools of expression and weapons of provocation. A decade of exclusive access, plus a lifetime of archival footage, depict Shannon from his early years as a disabled child who refused to sit idle and watch able-bodied kids play, to his rise as an award-winning dancer and cutting-edge performance artist whose work finds outlet at prestigious venues worldwide, including Cirque du Soleil, the Sydney Opera House, the Tate Modern in London, and the Chicago MOCA.

CRUTCH examines Shannon’s controversial street performances in which he exposes a secret world of prejudices that disabled people encounter in public on a daily basis and questions his methods as he readily takes advantage of strangers’ good Samaritan impulses to make his point. The film explores how both the beauty of his movements and his in-your-face attitude are fueled by a degenerative disability and chronic physical pain. From childhood "cripple" to international provocateur, CRUTCH is an emotional journey of an angry artist’s struggle to be understood by the world.