Narrative Shorts

Movement becomes the main character in these emotional stories, told through steps.

Blurring the lines between movement and filmmaking, our Narrative Shorts screening showcases fiction-driven films where dance is seamlessly woven into the storytelling. These pieces follow characters navigating identity, grief, love, and resistance set in locations ranging from Iranian stages to a cross-country motorcycle journey. Emotion is carried not just in words, but in bodies in motion. With expressive cinematography and carefully crafted choreography, this program proves that narrative film and dance can amplify one another, creating stories that linger long after the credits roll.

Venue Accessibility: Brava Theater is located at 2781 24th Street. Curb cuts for the sidewalk to the Brava Theater Center are located on the corner of York and 24th Street. The entrance of the theater is on the ground floor and there is an elevator to seating in the upper level of the theater.

Program Info

Friday, November 7 @ 3:30PM

Venue: Brava Theater

Runtime: 59 minutes

GA $20 / Arts Patron $40

Program Films

Film still from "Ballerina" with an awards laurel for best narrative short
An 8-year-old Iranian girl prepares for a dance performance in a quiet act of defiance.
Soheil Babaei, Farima Khalili
(Islamic Republic of Iran, 2024) 11:14 minutes

Ballerina

A person in casual clothes sits under a spotlight in a chair, facing an identical person in a suit seated across from them, holding blue papers. They sit in a dimly lit, industrial-looking room with a large pipe on the wall.
JP is faced with a no-win decision as a consequence of decisions made long ago.
Anthony Morigerato
John Michael Fiumara
(USA, 2024) 12:11 minutes

Echo

Three women wearing traditional clothing practice classical Indian dance indoors, with their hands in mudra positions. The person is front wears a focused expression. Light streams through large windows behind them.
A teenage Bharatanatyam dancer must rediscover the soul of her art by confronting her fractured bond with her mother.
Harshith Surya Kotni
Deepa Mahadevan
(USA, 2024) 11:42 minutes

Prematho

Three men wearing shorts stand barefoot with their backs to the camera in a sandy desert under a clear blue sky, facing the dunes in the distance.
On a motorcycle road trip, the only way to capture the moment is to dance in it.
Thomas Bos
Erik Bos
(Netherlands, 2024) 11:40 minutes

West

A girl with a somber expression sits on a bus. The image appears like a printed photograph, with a pile of red yarn obscuring the face of the person next to her.
After the loss of her sister, a young dancer is haunted by a song and the grief she can no longer suppress.
Tamara Ayrapetyan
Anna Osina
(Russian Federation, 2025) 11:42 minutes

Lola