Cypher to the Screen

Adam Smith & Colby McLean (Canada) YOUTH

2023 FORM Commission 

Duration: 14:02

RELINQ inverses the relationship between dance and music. Sounds created by dancers have been warped and molded to produce a piece of music led by dancers, rather than a dance piece led by music. Through this mixture of movement and sound, Relinq captures the unfiltered energy of the Session and offers it to the viewer without external interference.

Through the viewfinder of a camera, the audience is invited to experience the session as a dancer, a spectator, and a fly on the wall.

Directed & Produced by: Colby McLean & Adam Smith

Assistant Director: J. L. McLean

Assistant Producer: Justin Larioza

Shot by Nicholas Alford, Benjamin San Martin

Sound Design and Arrangement: Adam Smith

Edited by: Colby McLean & Justin Larioza

Mentors: Sophia Mai Wolfe, Eric Cheung, Alim Sabir

Dancers (in order of appearance): Colby McLean, Eunice Fae Dionisio, Adam Smith, Skargfy, Samantha Nicole Alvarez Lindo, Justin Larioza

Special thanks to Jami Reimer for pushing us to submit an application, and to Yimu Wang for creating the space through which our group flourished.

Iris Gao (Canada) EMERGING

Screened at FORM 2023

Duration: 2:30

Your fashion is THE fashion! In this dance film, dancers from punking, w*acking and voguing culture come together to showcase their unique movements as well as their favourite outfits. As all of these dance genres originate from LGBTQ+ culture, we convey through our movements that everyone is the star of their own stage by being their authentic selves!

Dancers: Rosie M. Richard, Katria V. Phothong-McKinnon, SINUHÉ, Maria Belen de Rama, Shelby Tan, Stephanie Li, Juan Imperial, Ivan Lo, Iris Gao

Directed and Designed by: Iris Gao

Cinematography, Editing and Lighting by: Jullian P. Visco

Soundtrack: Fashion Blogger - RHYME SO

Joshua Cameron (Canada) EMERGING

Screened at FORM x Dance in Vancouver 2024

Duration: 4:57

The entropic unfolding of a dancer's closet on screen. It's all fun and games until the laundry bubble pops and the boulder rolls back down the steep hill; rinse, spin, repeat.  

Directed/Performed by Jammin' Cameron

Videographer: Alinar Dapilos

Production Coordinator: Rhythm 

Set provided by Plastic Orchid Factory at Left of Main

Song: Showbiz & A.G. - Party Groove (Instrumental)

Hugh Durnford-Dionne & The Montreal Steppers (Canada) YOUTH

Canadian Premiere

Duration: 10:05

Back in May, the Montreal Steppers visited South Africa for a cultural and artistic exchange to learn from elders and youth. Connecting to the roots of Gumboots, Pantsula and Stepping changed their lives and the work that they do. It fueled a deeper commitment to sharing the history and honoring the art forms that paved the way for resistance, power and legacy. With this knowledge, they enter into spaces with a heightened appreciation and understanding that this dance form is indeed their “ancestral inheritance.”

Filmmaker: Hugh Durnford-Dionne

Producer: The Montreal Steppers

Members of The Montreal Steppers: Kayin Queeley, Saryka Pierre, Natasha Clery

Haonan “Harry” Zhang (Canada) EMERGING

Vancouver Premiere

Duration: 3:00

Three friends hang out to watch dance videos, snack, and vibe. When there's only one candy left, one heads to the bathroom while the other two break into a playful dance battle for the final treat. Just as things heat up, the third friend returns, totally unaware, and casually grabs the candy for himself. Told entirely through movement, this lighthearted short is a funky tribute to street dance, especially Campbellocking, inspired by the iconic style, humour, and spirit of The Lockers.

Sevrin Emnacen-Boyd (Canada) EMERGING

2021 FORM Commission

Duration: 6:27

AION refers to a concept developed by the philosopher Gilles Deleuze which denotes "the indefinite time of the event, the floating line that knows only speeds and continually divides that which transpires into an already-there that is at the same time not-yet-here, a simultaneous too-late and too-early". It refers to a time-sense that is outside of Chronos or the chronological, linear, everyday measure of time which both organizes and is organized by "normality". These twin concepts demonstrate that time is anything but neutral, and that it organizes our perception of reality and our visions of the future.

The film AION plays with the conceptual disruption of Chronos by molding together both forward and reversed movement while creating an ulterior continuity between night and day. It is a dance that refuses the constructed time-sense of the everyday, one that is instilled in us by capital and has remained mostly imperceptible for many until COVID-19. As we edge closer to normality, AION serves to remind the viewer of the possibility of constructing time and ultimately our lives outside of "the normal" that drove us here in the first place. 

Director: Sevrin Emnacen-Boyd

Choreographer: Sevrin Emnacen-Boyd

Music Score: Amine Bouzaher

Editor, Director of Photography: Alinar Diapolos

Production Assistant: Abby Skaug

Special Thanks to Immigrant Lessons, Now or Never Crew, and Scndrlz.

The creation of this film was supported by the 2021 FORM Commissioning Fund Program.

Talia Woodland (Canada) EMERGING

Screened at FORM 2019

Duration: 15:00

Showcasing one of Toronto's best up and coming Hiphop dancers, All It Gives follows the story of Kosi Eze, a Nigerian immigrant who moved to Canada when she was fourteen. Her transition to the country brought culture shock, loneliness and loss of identity. She was immediately hooked by the vibrant Hiphop scene in Toronto and Mississauga. After meeting key members of the dance community, Marcelino "FrostFlow" DaCosta, Mariano "Glizzi" Abarca and Caroline "Lady C" Fraser, she was able to meet even more new people, share perspectives, and excel as a dancer in the Toronto community and beyond. From dancing in the hallways at her high school, to winning battles across the globe, Kosi's story of growth is a glowing example of how the power of hiphop can inspire, uplift and support anyone who needs it and wants to discover it.

Director: Talia Woodland 

Writers: Talia Woodland, Matthew Takatsch 

Featuring: Marcelino “FrostFlow” DaCosta, Mariano “Glixxi” Abarca, Caroline “Lady C” Fraser and Kosi “KC” Eze 

Producer: Anthony Hunos, Talia Woodland 

Executive Producer: Andrew Stevenson 

Editor: Matthew Takasch 

Cinematography: Micheal Gouvis and Talia Woodland 

Score Composition: Fevra and Germain Carter

Glo Romy (Canada) EMERGING 

Screened at FORM 2024

Duration: 3:41

The term “bossy” is often used to shame women in charge, however this is a film that commands RESPECT. BOSSY celebrates women in street dance who have kept the culture alive - featuring an all women cast & crew.

Director: Glo Romy

Production Company: Yute Studio

Executive Producer: Christina G. Cheng

Producers: Suha “Su” Mugni, Dorcas Ho

DP: Ashley Iris Gill

Choreographer: Amanda-May Wilson

Associate Choreographer: Marianne Kanaan, Christina de la Cruz

Casting: Amaia Creative

Editorial: Nimiopere

Editor: Leah Lalich

Colour: Darling Colour & VFX

Colourist: Kassi Bellamy

1st AD: Ashley Bodika

2nd AD: Alise Rosemin

Production Coordinator: Vanessa Okafo

Steadicam: Nigel Doucette

1st AC: Carine Zahner

2nd AC: Kiana Tagabing

Camera Trainee: Renata Mohamed

Gaffer: Sabrina Spilotro

Key Grip: Asmaa Rouhi

Dolly Grip: Ian Chan

Set Designer: Vanessa Cassar

Wardrobe: Glo Romy

Wardrobe Assists: Kaylah Wilson, Miki Diamond Perry

MUA: Kathy Nguyen

MUA Assists: Irene Brotto, Gabrielle Jovellanos

Hair Stylist: Lakia Sage

Nail Artist: Manis by Manu

Grillz: Grillz by Mazz

BTS: Christine Do, Puneet Boparai, Alicia Reid

PA's: Toni Ho, Olya Sovtus, Sierra Brown-Rodrigues

Cast: Glo Romy, Kayla-Renée Wilson, Petra Ayedzi, Jendayi Dyer, Malea Yarde, Shane Tubog, Jordanaé Marie, O'Shani "Ocean" Cardwell, Trisha Ng, Miambi Kassé, Marianne Kanaan, Celeste Delgado, Kosi Eze, Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser, Monica ‘Knives’ Fern, Judi Lopez, Jade Jager Clark, Karyin Qiu, Alexandra ‘Niyi’ Tauhid, Julia ‘Lock Julia’ Aldosh, Sandra ‘Iced Misto’ To, Madison ‘Mad C’ Cranston, Daniella Alfaro, Luna Lunatick Doan, Mandy ‘Doomgurl’ Sanchez Cruz, Abigail McEyeson, Abby ‘Crimson Gush’ Raj, Lexi Raj, Emma Cabrera Aragon, Patricia ‘Ponytail Patricia’ Gordon, Jessica ‘Pretzo’ Chiu, Ruhama Dechassa, Jamie-Lee Santos, Danica ‘Dizzy’ Dinero, Janine Joseph, Janelle Haye, Indica Cornish, Kathriel Rivera, Char Viorea, Geneva Lei, Manuela Villegas, Chawntay Barrett, Zayn Ojowo, King the Chihuahua

Born in Nigeria, Kosi Eze (she/her) honed her creative influence through her love for music at 18. As a young woman, Kosi drew many connections between her ancestral roots and the street dance forms which she became increasingly involved with in 2012. Through those connections, the Enugu native discovered her passion for dance and performance art.

Kosi seeks to promote a healthy knowledge of self and emotional intelligence - as it impacts the ways we engage within street dance culture as messengers, leaders and mentors for the generation to come - through her art. 
Kosi is continues to work toward increasing music and movement literacy through her studies and teaching. She is currently contributing to the works of Compagnie de danse Ebnflõh and proudly represents the Symbiotic Monsters, the Unknown Floor Force and Sourpatch movement collective(s).

Kristen ‘KatchFlow’ (she/her) is a multifaceted Barbadian-Canadian artist, dancer, choreographer, and educator specializing in various street and social dance styles. She uses movement as a powerful tool for self-expression and cultural exchange, sharing her knowledge with diverse communities of all ages. As she takes on more creative direction roles, KatchFlow continues to expand her artistic practice while staying rooted in cultural integrity and exploration. Her work is driven by a commitment to growth, connection, and representation through dance and education.