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From the Cypher to the Screen 🎟️

  • The Dance Centre 677 Davie Street Vancouver, BC, V6B 2G6 Canada (map)

‘All It Gives’ by Talia Woodland (Canada) EMERGING, Screened at FORM 2019

From the Cypher to the Screen
Friday November 21 from 5:00-9:30PM PST 

In collaboration with Vancouver Street Dance Association 
Presented in Partnership with The Dance Centre
Workshop with Kristen ‘Katchflow’ & Live Talkback facilitated by Kose Eze
With DJ AJ 
Location: Scotiabank Dance Centre
Doors: 4:30PM PST

Screening Rated PG

This year, we are excited to bring you From the Cypher to the Screen, a two-part street dance event that features a cypher competition and film screening. Join us in celebrating local and national street dance artists and their endeavours into movement-on-screen.

We’ll start the night with a Hip Hop workshop, warming up with grooves and party steps before transitioning into a multi-style cypher and cypher competition. As our secret judges float through the room, we’ll be dancing to hip hop, house, funk, and disco music. The evening will culminate in a retrospective screening of street dance-centred films that have screened at FORM over the past 10 years. Each film creatively explores the unique ways that street dances such as hip hop, locking, w*acking, and breaking can interact with the camera. These films act as a living archive of street dance in Canada, commemorating the culture and people who shape the community. 

Come get down and be a part of a moment highlighting the vibrant members of the Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto street dance communities! 

To learn more about our support offerings during screenings visit our FAQ page.

Schedule:

5:00-5:30PM: Hip Hop Workshop with Kristen ‘Katchflow’ — 2025 Commissioned Artist
5:30-6:45PM: Cypher & Cypher Competition
7:00-8:00PM: Screening
8:00-8:30PM: Live talkback facilitated by Kosi Eze

Films Screening:

Cypher to the Screen
RELINQ
RELINQ

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.

Fashion Blogger
Fashion Blogger

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

For on the Floor (An Ode to the Cyclical)
For on the Floor (An Ode to the Cyclical)

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)

The Steppers visit South Africa
The Steppers visit South Africa

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

Candy 
Candy 

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.

Director: Haoyan "Harry" Zhang
Cinematographer & Editor: Anyo
Choreographer: Haoyan "Harry" Zhang
Dancers: Haoyan "Harry" Zhang, Yulia Aldoshkina, Luis Miguel

AION
AION

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.

All It Gives
All It Gives

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

BOSSY: An Ode to Women in Street Dance
BOSSY: An Ode to Women in Street Dance

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

Meet the Facilitators:

Featured
Kosi Eze
Kosi Eze

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).

Photo by: Jerick Collantes @anyo._

Kristen ‘KatchFlow’
Kristen ‘KatchFlow’

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.

Photo by: Richie Lubaton


Earlier Event: November 20
Present Revolutions 🎟️🤝
Later Event: November 22
Commissioned Artists’ World Premiere 🎟️