Doc Shorts: Human/Nature

This selection of four documentary shorts capture real-life stories of dance in conversation with stunning natural settings.

Artists share the transformative power of dance and its capacity to shape notions of identity and community through a deeply-rooted sense of place. A group of dancers express their commitment to cultural preservation, a world class climber conquers legendary ascents, immigrant children find common expression through embodied imagination, and underwater dancers share their unconventional passion. These stories of movement, migration, homecoming, and home-building unfold on the Pacific island of Rotuma, the cliffs of Viñales Cuba, a working-class Montréal schoolyard, and deep in the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean.

Venue accessibility: The entrance to the screening room is at 600 The Embarcadero. Once you enter the gates, there is an office to your left with a front desk. The person at the front desk will escort you to the elevator to get to the screening room.

Program Info

Runtime: 71 minutes

Friday, October 18 @ 3:30PM

Venue: Delancey Street Theater

$15 GA / $40 Arts Patron

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Program Films

Two Fijian dancers sit huddled in an embrace on the rocky shoreline of a tropical beach. The upper dancer curls over the lower dancer and wears a red feathered top and grass skirt. In the background are palm trees and a beach.
“ARMEA” chronicles the homecoming of the dancers and musicians of Rako Pasefika to the Pacific island of Rotuma, where they convene with creative elders and community to revitalize ancient stories and traditions.
Letila Mitchell
(Fiji, 2024) 20:15 minutes

ARMEA

An underwater picture of a person in a flowing white dress holding a long red scarf that extends far below them in the water.
Dive into the world of underwater dancing in “Otherworldly: Dancing in the Deep,” a glimpse into the practice, its community, and creative possibilities.
Juliette Sutherland
(United States, 2024) 14:40 minutes

Otherworldly: Dancing in the Deep

A woman with curly brown and bonde hair extends her arms out to her sides. The sun lights up the edges of her hair. She wears a blue, patterned bra and gray flowy pants. In the background is lush greenery.
“Mataperra” follows dancer and climber Yelda del Carmen as she returns to her native Cuba to conquer three legendary ascents.
Rachel Trudeau
Yelda Del Carmen, Aymara Vila Rodríguez
(Canada, 2024) 21:31 minutes

Mataperra

A child sits in a classroom, gazing solemnly into the camera lens. Behind him are his classmates standing on and sitting at desks. On holds his arms to his sides, index fingers pointed upwards. Another has his hands together in a praying position, eyes closed.
In a series of poetic portraits, “Caravane” tells the stories of immigrant children through their own words, dance, and play to foreground our common humanity.
Robin Pineda Gould
Élodie et Séverine Lombardo
(Canada, 2024) 15:02 minutes

Caravane