Performance & Event Calendar

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Narrative Shorts

In this selection of six short narrative films, the universal language of dance colors a diverse array of scenes, atmospheres, and characters—each in under 15 minutes. Journey from a whimsical film set to a futuristic digital dystopia and delve deeply into contemporary issues of joy, loss, perseverance, and the abiding strength of the human spirit. With each dance move, each line of dialogue, and each meticulously framed shot, the Narrative Shorts program encapsulates the power of collaboration between dance artists, actors, choreographers, and filmmakers.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Dancing in A-Yard

By dancing and telling their stories together, these men and their instructor challenge toxic masculinity, confront stigmas faced by incarcerated people, and break the taboo against dancing behind bars. Their shared desire for personal transformation and the creation of a new prison culture inspires hope for progressive reforms and the potential for dance to positively impact the lives of incarcerated people, their families, and communities.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Screendance 1: 10 Under 10

Drawn from artists working in seven countries and a rich variety of contemporary and traditional dance styles, this program features a broad selection of 10 screendance works all under 10 minutes. By layering choreography, cinematography, music, and visual art, these films draw inspiration from diverse urban and rural landscapes to beautifully express relatable themes of isolation, connection, cultural preservation, and powerful emotional transformation.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

ODC Theater - 2023 Lobby Nights: ZOE ANI & NICK MALTAGLIATI

Zoe Ani builds visual landscapes that explore interconnectedness with the elements, nature, and other humans. They pursued their craft in painting at The Art Students League, NY and Penland School of Crafts, NC. Leaning on their additional studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine, they examine the concept of balance and movement in their work. Inspired by patterns in nature, place, music, memories and dreams, they create worlds real and imagined to present a moment to be still and bring forth conversation. Zoe works in a studio in the Dogpatch neighborhood in San Francisco, CA. They have recently been exhibited in SF City Hall and the Napa County Library in 2023.

Nick Maltagliati is a queer, interdisciplinary artist & curator connecting mysticism to abstract landscapes. He is proud of being mixed race and integrates his ethnicity, sexuality, and mental state into his practice. He is a Bay Area native and earned his BA at San Francisco State University. He currently connects artists with the art-loving public through the annual SF Open Studios program organized by ArtSpan."

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Doc Shorts

These five documentary dance shorts capture real-life stories in a compact form colored by the intimately personal language of movement. Explore the creative process with dancers from Nigeria, Japan, Cuba, Paris, and the Crow Creek Native American Reservation as they navigate heartfelt triumphs and challenges. From seasoned contemporary and ballet dancers to a young dancing queen, these artists share a deep sense of focus and drive in their approaches to finding meaning and freedom in life through dance.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Screendance 2: What’s the Story?

From the surreal to the mundane, these films move through dream-like realms and real-life situations to give fresh insight into our shared world and imagined possibilities. Whether wrestling with the artistic process, struggling with mental health issues, or simply seeking moments of interconnected joy in life, these artists use dance to sketch evocative impressions of individuals and societies and push the boundaries of storytelling.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Screendance 3: Screenscapes

Experience four international dance works for camera that expertly merge multidimensional artistic media to shape abstract worlds and tell urgent stories. Themes of migration and displacement, mourning, and transformative self-discovery together emphasize the triumphant power of the individual spirit and supportive communal relationships.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Call Me Dancer

Manish is an athletic street dancer from Mumbai who dreams of becoming a professional dancer against the wishes of his struggling parents. He meets a curmudgeonly Israeli ballet master, Yehuda Ma’or who inspires him to follow his dreams. But when he is pitted against another boy who’s got the attention of the top school in the world, Manish realizes he must push himself to his physical limits if he has any chance to succeed. Though the odds are stacked against him, his perseverance through highs and lows reveals the power of dance to transform lives. “Call Me Dancer” is a “Billy Elliott” style story that will make you want to jump up from your seat and, Yes, dance!

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Raising Voices

SFDFF’s 5th annual Raising Voices shorts program spotlights the work of traditionally under-represented artists and amplifies their powerful messages of social justice and belonging. Experience provocative and moving stories told through movement, poetry, and music in seven short films from a range of artists who harness dance as cultural expression and artistic activism. From student filmmakers to seasoned professionals, this program features street dancers, disabled artists, and burlesque and circus performers who find empowerment in their identities, communities, and surroundings.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Love, A State of Grace & futile/gestures

For four days in 2022, Zaccho Dance Theatre transformed San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. Amid the cathedral’s towering ceilings, stained glass windows, and cavernous chambers, performers ascend a 100-ft ladder and soar on a 70-foot swinging pendulum, defying gravity with equanimous grace.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Bay Area Shorts–Part 1

Featuring six short dance films by Bay Area and Northern California artists, this shorts program showcase the rich diversity of expression in the local community. From street corners to seaside cliffs and San Francisco’s highest hills, these artists push boundaries of form, style, and narrative in conversation with their incomparable Bay Area backdrop. Experience deeply personal emotional journeys, moving celebrations of culture and community, and abstractly evocative beauty in this collection of locally-rooted stories.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

SFDFF at ODC Theater, Bay Area Shorts–Part 2

Featuring five short dance films by Bay Area and Northern California artists, this shorts program showcases the rich diversity of expression in the local community. From street corners to seaside cliffs and San Francisco’s highest hills, these artists push boundaries of form, style, and narrative in conversation with their incomparable Bay Area backdrop. Experience deeply personal emotional journeys, moving celebrations of culture and community, and abstractly evocative beauty in this collection of locally-rooted stories.

SFDFF presents its 14th annual Festival. From September 22 – October 15, international and locally produced dance films will be featured in various San Francisco theaters and streamed online. From October 5 – 8, SFDFF will be co-presented with ODC. All programming will take place in person at ODC Theater, along with streaming access to select programs on ODC Connect, ODC's video streaming platform. At the close of the Festival an invited jury will announce its selections and give awards in six categories.

Kinetech Arts: AURUM

San Francisco has its roots in the gold rush: in the mid-19th century, its population grew from a few hundred to tens of thousands, attracting immigrants worldwide. Kinetech Arts’s multi-media project entitled Aurum (gold in Latin) portrays a modern-day “gold rush” in San Francisco, with the world’s tech capital viewed through the events of 1849. Humanity is in a disruptive transition era analogous to that time of proliferation, as developments in AI are growing exponentially. By reflecting on the gold rush, when greed fueled ecological and human tolls, especially on the indigenous population and exploited workers, this project reflects on our place within a delicate ecosystem. This ecosystem now includes the intimate relationships between humans and the digital world.

Kinetech Arts: AURUM

San Francisco has its roots in the gold rush: in the mid-19th century, its population grew from a few hundred to tens of thousands, attracting immigrants worldwide. Kinetech Arts’s multi-media project entitled Aurum (gold in Latin) portrays a modern-day “gold rush” in San Francisco, with the world’s tech capital viewed through the events of 1849. Humanity is in a disruptive transition era analogous to that time of proliferation, as developments in AI are growing exponentially. By reflecting on the gold rush, when greed fueled ecological and human tolls, especially on the indigenous population and exploited workers, this project reflects on our place within a delicate ecosystem. This ecosystem now includes the intimate relationships between humans and the digital world.

Kinetech Arts: AURUM

San Francisco has its roots in the gold rush: in the mid-19th century, its population grew from a few hundred to tens of thousands, attracting immigrants worldwide. Kinetech Arts’s multi-media project entitled Aurum (gold in Latin) portrays a modern-day “gold rush” in San Francisco, with the world’s tech capital viewed through the events of 1849. Humanity is in a disruptive transition era analogous to that time of proliferation, as developments in AI are growing exponentially. By reflecting on the gold rush, when greed fueled ecological and human tolls, especially on the indigenous population and exploited workers, this project reflects on our place within a delicate ecosystem. This ecosystem now includes the intimate relationships between humans and the digital world.

ARS MINERVA - Olimpia Vendicata

ARS MINERVA presents Olimpia Vendicata - A Modern World Premiere

An Opera composed by Domenico Freschi in 1682
 

The Plot
Olimpia Vendicata is Ariadne auf Naxos in a distinctly more 17th-century Italian key. Poor Olimpia, a Princess of Holland, is abandoned on a desert island by her faithless lover, Bireno. Kidnapped by pirates, she is made a slave at the elegant, sensuous court of Hibernia, where it seems everybody is amorous of somebody else. (Remember, this is fiction.) Imagine her surprise when Bireno crops up and begins wooing the Hibernian princess Alinda! With finesse and malice, Olimpia exacts poetic justice.

ARS MINERVA - Olimpia Vendicata

ARS MINERVA presents Olimpia Vendicata - A Modern World Premiere

An Opera composed by Domenico Freschi in 1682
 

The Plot
Olimpia Vendicata is Ariadne auf Naxos in a distinctly more 17th-century Italian key. Poor Olimpia, a Princess of Holland, is abandoned on a desert island by her faithless lover, Bireno. Kidnapped by pirates, she is made a slave at the elegant, sensuous court of Hibernia, where it seems everybody is amorous of somebody else. (Remember, this is fiction.) Imagine her surprise when Bireno crops up and begins wooing the Hibernian princess Alinda! With finesse and malice, Olimpia exacts poetic justice.

ARS MINERVA - Olimpia Vendicata

ARS MINERVA presents Olimpia Vendicata - A Modern World Premiere

An Opera composed by Domenico Freschi in 1682
 

The Plot
Olimpia Vendicata is Ariadne auf Naxos in a distinctly more 17th-century Italian key. Poor Olimpia, a Princess of Holland, is abandoned on a desert island by her faithless lover, Bireno. Kidnapped by pirates, she is made a slave at the elegant, sensuous court of Hibernia, where it seems everybody is amorous of somebody else. (Remember, this is fiction.) Imagine her surprise when Bireno crops up and begins wooing the Hibernian princess Alinda! With finesse and malice, Olimpia exacts poetic justice.

Opera Parallèle: The Emissary

In this new family opera spanning generations, journey through a future where hope and resilience shine in a world on the brink. Opera Parallèle has commissioned composer Kenji Oh and librettist Kelley Rourke to create this brand new adaptation of The Emissary, based on the award-winning novel by celebrated Japanese author Yoko Tawada, as part of the seventh iteration of the Hands-On-Opera program. Directed by Yayoi Kambara and starring Angela Yam and Bradley Kynard, and featuring the Lick Wilmerding High School Chorus, bring the whole family to this world premiere!

Opera Parallèle: The Emissary

In this new family opera spanning generations, journey through a future where hope and resilience shine in a world on the brink. Opera Parallèle has commissioned composer Kenji Oh and librettist Kelley Rourke to create this brand new adaptation of The Emissary, based on the award-winning novel by celebrated Japanese author Yoko Tawada, as part of the seventh iteration of the Hands-On-Opera program. Directed by Yayoi Kambara and starring Angela Yam and Bradley Kynard, and featuring the Lick Wilmerding High School Chorus, bring the whole family to this world premiere!