Dance on film is nothing new, but it’s a growing genre. During the pandemic, more and more dance artists have turned to film as a way to express themselves at a time when they couldn’t perform on stage, and to satisfy dance lovers who were missing live performances. With the ever-changing protocols for presenting in-person events during a pandemic, it became clear that World Arts West should produce the 2021 Festival on film, and while we miss presenting live performances this year, I’m excited for this long-standing Festival to be able to explore a new genre.

In some ways, film provides more accessibility and opportunity than live performance; people can watch our film anywhere in the world. Film also allows the viewer to see the dances differently, and to take in details they might miss in a stage performance.

The artists who were selected for the film had either not been in the Festival before, or hadn’t been for a long time. We were also mindful of what dance forms might translate best to film. The locations for each of the dance pieces were chosen very purposefully. Being able to film in specific environments allowed us to put the dances back into the context of where they came from originally.

To honor what each of the artists brings to their piece, the editing process had to match the rhythm of each one, so I had a continuing conversation with the artists throughout the filming and editing process. It has been exciting for me to be able to introduce some of the artists to a format they hadn’t had the opportunity to explore previously. There is a difference between what can be presented on stage, which is linear, and a film, which can encompass the dance and also highlight different aspects of the dancers themselves.

Currently, there is a lack of representation of ethnic dance in the film genre. Although there is a great value to being able to see a live performance, I would like to continue seeing films that present dances such as the ones in our film as a way to promote representation, equity, and documentation of previous and future Ethnic Dance Festival artists.

Sonia D. Pina

The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival was the first city-sponsored multicultural dance festival in the United States, and since 1978, the Festival has featured more than 600 dance groups, 26,000 local artists, and 100 world cultures. The Festival has grown from performances in local community centers to some of the grandest stages in the Bay Area, as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Started in 1978 by San Francisco’s Hotel Tax Fund, a municipal agency now called Grants for the Arts, the goal was to “preserve the cultural heritage of the city and enhance San Francisco’s reputation as a center for the arts.” The Festival’s founders felt that, rather than giving many ethnic dance groups performing in the city a small grant, it could be more effective if those funds were combined and allocated towards providing the much-needed service of presenting the dancers and musicians on a good stage, hiring the production crew, and doing all of the labor-intensive marketing and front-of-house work. As the Festival grew over the years, amid critical and audience acclaim, the Festival was presented in iconic venues such as Palace of Fine Arts, the War Memorial Opera House, and the Zellerbach Hall.

The greatest legacy of this work is the impact that the Festival has had on the lives of the participating artists. The Festival has provided unprecedented opportunities for local dancers to be presented in large scale, highly professional settings, supported by a seasoned production and marketing team. By participating in the Festival, the artists have a rare opportunity to create complex, multi-layered, high caliber artistic work that cannot be presented on smaller stages. The Festival also provides opportunities for artists to connect with other artists outside their own cultures, which has led to many innovative collaborations.

The New York Times has called our Festival “a glorious achievement…one of the finest of all American dreams: a setting where cultures can celebrate their own traditions while honoring and applauding others.” Now in our fifth decade, we are excited about supporting our extraordinary community of artists and culture bearers to honor our collective heritage, forging new artistic territories, and creating a lasting legacy for the future.

In addition to the annual Festival and other events throughout the City (such as the Rotunda Dance Series), we support Festival artists by providing fiscal sponsorship, letters of support, videos and photos for their marketing needs and grant applications, artist referrals, production advice, artist resource newsletters, and other forms of capacity building support. We are steadily growing our Artist Service Program, in order to provide comprehensive tools for our beloved cultural artists to thrive.