Alice Sheppard and Laurel Lawson fly through a cloudless blue sky with arms outstretched and their wheelchair wheels spinning. You don’t see the ground, only sky. Alice is a coffee skinned multiracial Black woman with curly hair, and Laurel is a pale white woman with short teal hair. They both wear metallic silver and gold, and Laurel has a wide, peaceful smile.

Katherine Helen Fisher, Revel In Your Body (still), 2019. Photo by Safety Third Productions, Shimmy Boyle. Image description: Alice Sheppard and Laurel Lawson fly through a cloudless blue sky with arms outstretched and their wheelchair wheels spinning. You don’t see the ground, only sky. Alice is a coffee skinned multiracial Black woman with curly hair, and Laurel is a pale white woman with short teal hair. They both wear metallic silver and gold, and Laurel has a wide, peaceful smile.

Film/Video

We Belong

A selection of short films reveal the soft power of dance to spark joy and dismantle dominant narratives.

Event Photos

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Photo by Pat Mazzera
Photo by Pat Mazzera
Photo by Pat Mazzera

We Belong presents a selection of international short dance films that revel in the joy, eccentricity, and variety of human connection. Organized with a sensitivity to accessibility and inclusivity, this cross-genre lineup features Bharatanatyam, hip hop, and contemporary dance. Subjects range from Black trans femme love to the Chinese diaspora to the irreverence of office furniture—each offering a refreshing alternative to dominant narratives. 

The act of connecting was vastly redefined during the pandemic as we withdrew from public spaces and into distant and virtual ones. This program marks the significance of gathering together once again and highlights the integral role that the arts play in society, culture, and politics. 

Terrence Paschal opens the program with a solo dance performance that embodies the Kitsune (fox) from Japanese mythology and its symbolism of the conscious and unconscious in human expression. Following the screening, Eric Garcia moderates a filmmaker Q&A with Jody Stillwater (The Wind Telephone). We Belong is curated by Kat Gorospe Cole and Eric Garcia, founders of the Tiny Dance Film Festival, a San Francisco-based festival that prioritizes films that embrace brevity, embody the concept of dance with the camera, and amplify marginalized voices. 

FILMS

Director: Jody Stillwater
Choreographer: Nicole Klaymoon
The Wind Telephone, 2016

Nitya Narasimhan
Khrisna Nee Begane, 2018

Director: Morgan Wise
Choreographer: Robert Moses
AM/FM, 2014

Director: Jenny Stulberg
Choreographer: Lauren Simpson & Jenny Stulberg
hold ( S T I L L ), 2016

Director: Jan Vesala
Choreographer: Antoinette Helbing
Bang, 2018

Director: Kim Saarinen
Choreographer: Johanna Keinänen
Body Language Zone, 2017

Director & Choreographer: Shanel Edwards
This is For Us, 2019

Director & Choreographer: Melissa Lewis
花和霧 flowers and fog, 2021

Director: Katherine Helen Fisher
Choreographer: Alice Sheppard
Revel in Your Body, 2019

PARTNERS

Tiny Dance Film Festival is a film festival based in San Francisco that features short dance films from across the globe. Founded in 2013, TDFF prioritizes films that upset the trend, stretch into new territory, challenge dominant narratives, and embrace brevity.

We Belong is a co-production of the Tiny Dance Film Festival and McEvoy Arts in conjunction with the exhibition Next to You. Audio description provided by Gravity Access Services. Captioning provided by StormMiguel Florez. ASL interpretation courtesy of Pilar Marsh. DCP creation by Cinematiq.

Community partners: AXIS Dance Company, CounterPulse, Robert Moses’ KIN, and San Francisco Dance Film Festival.