This captivating short dance film unveils the story of a lonely ice fisherman who finds an unlikely friend trapped within the depths of the frozen sea ice.  

Against the backdrop of a desolate Arctic shore, a lonely fisherman's fate intertwines with that of a frozen prehistoric man encased in ice. As twilight descends, the ice-bound figure defrosts, revealing an unexpected friend and dance partner. Yet, as the dawn's unforgiving light breaks, revelations shatter the facade of their newfound connection. Combining the art of silent narrative, deadpan Nordic humor, and an original soundtrack by avant-garde accordion wizard Kimmo Pohjonen, this acclaimed short film has taken the festival circuit by storm. Its enigmatic storytelling and mesmerizing choreography have earned it both critical praise and an enthusiastic following.

This captivating short dance film unveils the story of a lonely ice fisherman who finds an unlikely friend trapped within the depths of the frozen sea ice.

Cold Storage

Hayaat zahra shah is 24 years old. They are from Manchester and were born in Pakistan.

Scottish Ballet: The Shimmering Extraordinary – Zahra

Annie Edwards is a disabled dance artist from Brighton, now based in London. She works with hip hop and contemporary dance, performing and creating work for a number of years. Her practice combines a love of movement and music with a drive for social justice. This video is part of The Shimmering Extraordinary, a mini-series of six new short dance films, created by Emmy-Award nominated director Fx Goby.

Annie Edwards is a disabled dance artist from Brighton, now based in London.

Scottish Ballet: The Shimmering Extraordinary – Annie

Nikita Gold is a prolific dancer with killer moves and great taste in music and fashion. She is a classic queen with outfits to die for. Nikita likes to storm stages around the world, wowing audiences wherever she goes.

Nikita Gold is a prolific dancer with killer moves and great taste in music and fashion.

Scottish Ballet: The Shimmering Extraordinary – Nikita

Madeline Squire is a First Artist with Scottish Ballet. 

Scottish Ballet: The Shimmering Extraordinary – Maddy

Saul Nash is a Designer and Choreographer from North East London. Having received a scholarship to attend and graduate from the eminent MA Menswear at the Royal College of Art in 2018, Nash came from the unconventional route of Performance. Practicing for many years as a dancer and graduating from BA Performance Design at Central Saint Martins in 2015.

Saul Nash is a Designer and Choreographer from North East London.

Scottish Ballet: The Shimmering Extraordinary – Saul

Commissioned and curated especially by Manchester Camerata during these unique times – the 'Untold' series tells the remarkable and intimate personal stories of real people in the community through film, storytelling and prose. In this episode, we tell the moving and uplifting story of Keith who lives with young onset dementia.

We first met Keith back in 2018 at one of our creative music-making sessions in Wigan. Previously a coach driver for football clubs across the northwest, a member of the grenadier guards and an avid music fan, the film tells his personal account of how dementia affects the everyday life of him and his wife Joan. 

Narrated by Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh, written by poet and playwright Amanda Dalton, directed by award-winning Paul Sapin and starring Neil Bell (Dead Man’s Shoes, 24 Hour Party People, Coronation Street), this emotional and deeply personal account set to music chosen by Keith should not be missed.

The film tells his personal account of how dementia affects the everyday life of Keith and his wife Joan.

Untold - Keith

Mukeni Nel begun dancing aged 6 in Winchester and has since toured internationally.

Scottish Ballet: The Shimmering Extraordinary – Mukeni

Renowned choreographer Alexander Ekman ( ''A Swan Lake'' ) collaborated with his favorite filmmaker T.M. Rives to create a short dance film for the San Francisco Dance Film Festival’s ninth annual festival.

The result, a wonderfully whimsical, and at times deeply philosophical, guide to movement as told by Ekman and his friends, dancers Sarah Cecilia, Britt Juleen, Nathaniel Moore, and Ben Needham-Wood. The film is neither very concise nor totally natural, it is purely Ekman.

This short film was part of a previous San Francisco Dance Film Festival season. Tune in this October to see select films from the 2024 festival.

A wonderfully whimsical, and at times deeply philosophical, guide to movement as told by choreographer Alexander Ekman and his friends.

Ekman's Concise Guide to Natural Movement

"Circle", is an analogy between the modern human being, living in mass cities, and the phenomenon of the circle of death -  a phenomenon observed in nature with ants who are separated from the main foraging party and lose the pheromone track. They begin to follow one another, forming a continuously rotating circle, ominously known as a "death spiral."

Shot in Mexico City by director Phillip Kaminiak, this vibrant and impressive city is a protagonist, symbolizing a life in endless high-speed movement and the humans who are dedicating their lives to endless movement, and self-exhaustion in a modern capitalistic-based world.

This short film was part of a previous San Francisco Dance Film Festival season. Tune in this October to see select films from the 2024 festival.

This dance short, shot in Mexico City, uses circles as a poignant analogy for the life of modern human beings and their dedication to endless movement in a capitalistic world. 

Circle

Seven men celebrate the power of unity in a dynamic and acrobatic dance performance fueled by an unrelenting rhythm. This obsessive beat ignites their movements, infusing their bodies with boundless energy.

Choreographed by Fouad Boussouf, Näss (meaning "people" in Arabic) bridges the gap between the profane and the sacred, blending the vibrant, urban essence of hip hop with its deeply ritualistic and spiritual roots. Boussouf's work, influenced by his Moroccan heritage, explores the tension between modernity and enduring traditions.

The performance pays homage to the 1970s group Nass el Ghiwane (Behemian People), known for popularizing Gnawa culture and inspiring Moroccan rap with their poetic, rebellious lyrics. Näss weaves together past and present, creating a powerful dance tribute that honors the legacy of these cultural pioneers.

Choreographer Fouad Boussouf brings together seven dancers for an acrobatic dance tribute to popular Moroccan 70s group, Nass el Ghiwane.

Näss: Fouad Boussouf

Based on the true story of legendary ballerina, Marie Taglioni - the first woman to go “en pointe.”  As the legend goes, after she retired, her pointe shoes were bought by a fan, then cooked at a lavish dinner party and served to 35 guests. It is a surreal, comical romp through the party evening.

Created in partnership with the English National Ballet and featuring 20 of their dancers alongside a principal cast of actors and dancers, including Alessandra Ferri and Antonia Franceschi, ''An Evening with Taglioni'' is a fantastically fun short independently produced with support from Arts Council England.

This short film was part of a past San Francisco Dance Film Festival season. Tune in this October to see select films from the 2024 festival. 

Based on the true story of ballerina Marie Taglioni whose point shoes were bought by a fan, then cooked at a lavish dinner party and served to 35 guests. This short is a romp through the party.

An Evening with Taglioni

Six dancers take us on a frantic and humorous journey through 20 unique scenes, where inventive parody and incredible skill come together to shatter expectations. 

This multidisciplinary and zany show combines poetry and motion, with an all-male ensemble in flashy costumes poking fun at the sometimes-serious dance world and demonstrating that a bare-chested man in a tutu can indeed perform a graceful pointe solo.

Each painting revisited in "Tutu" is a colorful surprise where choreographic codes are playfully mocked without taboo. There’s a hip-hop "Swan Lake," a dainty Haka, a clumsy "Dirty Dancing," and an even clumsier "Dancing with the Stars."No icon is untouchable for the Chicos Mambo in this visual maelstrom of laughter and dance.

Get ready to laugh out loud as the Chicos Mambo men don tutu trousers while parodying Swan Lake, Dirty Dancing, and gender stereotypes.

TUTU by Chicos Mambo

Renowned hip-hop choreographer Mourad Merzouki blends the vibrant rhythms of the Italian tarantella, the baroque music of Vivaldi, and the electronic sounds of Grégoire Durrande in this extraordinary musical collaboration with the musicians of the Concert de l'Hostel Dieu. 

In Folia, hip-hop dance intertwines with a unique musical soundscape. Weaving in elements of contemporary dance, classical ballet, electronic music, and the mesmerizing movements of a whirling dervish, Merzouki creates a utopian mosaic of movement and music, bridging the gap between tradition and modernity. 


Choreographer Mourad Merzouki explores diverse musical worlds in collaboration with the musicians of the Concert de l'hostel Dieu. 

Folia: Mourad Merzouki

"Coffee literally changes the way we see, think, and interact with other people. BUT FIRST is our way of exploring this through two of our favorite mediums, film and dance." - Erin Brown Thomas (Director), Mike Esperanza (Choreographer)

Created as part of the San Francisco Dance Film Festival's annual Co-Laboratory program in collaboration with the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron's Dancing Laboratories. A filmmaker and choreographer are paired together for one week to make a short dance film guided by creativity and the magic of collaboration.

This short film was part of a previous San Francisco Dance Film Festival season. Tune in this October to see select films from the 2024 festival.

But first... coffee. This stimulating short dance film explores how coffee can change the way we see, think, and interact. 

But First

Set in a derelict theater, “Heartache” deploys tensely expressive movement in a darkly playful take on the dynamics of seeing and being seen. 

At once kitschy and confrontational, the dancers move with deadpan gazes through tight trios with razor-sharp precision and evocative gestures. Glimpses of private moments and vivid bodily imagery highlight the tension between the individual and society.

This short film was part of a past San Francisco Dance Film Festival season. Tune in this October to see select films from the 2024 festival.

Kitschy and confrontational, this dance short is a darkly playful take on the dynamics of seeing and being seen.

Fanfare for the Common Man

The Washington Ballet

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