Dance Film
December 2 | 4:30-5:30pm | The Price Center Theater
Directed by Marcos Duran | Featuring Student Works
Dreaming Onto The Screen
This quarter’s TDTR 20 - Dance On Film course, taught and directed by faculty Marcos Duran, has focused on “DREAMING ONTO THE SCREEN: INSPIRED BY STRONG FEMALE DANCEMAKERS”. The curriculum has included studying historical dance on film footage from Katherine Dunham, Martha Graham, Anna Halprin, Michiyo Hata, Risa Jaroslow, Tonia Shimin, as well as performances by Bjork, Meredith Glisson, and more. Students in the class pitched ideas for dance films and then Marcos helped to assemble five filmmaking teams to collaboratively create these original projects
The Filmmaking Teams
“Eras”
by Keilani Solis, Natalie Alonzo, Samantha Bravo, Ava Russo
Synopsis: A depiction of childhood nostalgia and the freeness of youth, a journey back to the moments in our youth. Eras captures the yearning to break free from the confinements of adulthood and return to a state of wonder, spontaneity, and simplicity. Through movement, the film traces the passage of time, from playful innocence to the restrained patterns of adulthood. Eras breaks through the invisible boundaries of conformity, awakening the spirit of curiosity and wonder that once defined us.
“In Our Time”
by Leslie Alvarez, Ashley Testa-BenavidesSolvey Xu, Sarai Scofield, Aria Lu
Synopsis: Our short film will follow the journey of girlhood depicted through cheer and team connection. It will primarily focus on the behind-the-scenes of how female friendships develop and flourish. Overall, it'll be a light-hearted and fun film.
“NeoNeo”
by Sophia Feng, Selene Pak, Journey Johnson, Wenxuan Song, Kelly Callejo
Synopsis: An abstract representation of what can happen when movement and rhythm come together. The fusion of two dance styles least expected brought together on film.
“Dancing with the Devil”
by Jay Reyes, Silvia Pinto, Ingyin Moh, Jocelyn Lopez, Andre Whitmore
Synopsis: A young girl in college lost her sister a year prior. They were both dancers and it’s what she remembers her sister by. She gets kidnapped one day on campus and taken to a basement, left with only her headphones and tape player. Listening to the song on her tape, she begins to dance and feels a presence that helps her escape into the woods and confront her kidnapper with the help of her sister's dances.
“Surfapolis”
by Shai Albow, Ellis Tom, Laura Gries, Elizabeth Frazier, and Audrey Wong
Synopsis: What if there was a world without surfing? Would you trust an amateur to teach the world and bring back the memory of the beloved forgotten sport? Welcome to Surfapolis, a world where both realities are tested.
Directed by
Marcos Duran channels group imaginations into embodied performance. His approach to directing is informed by craniosacral integration and the desire for healthier dance ecosystems. He draws inspiration from his work with Marcos Duran Performance Group in New York City from 2008-2017, where his choreography was 
presented at venues such as Movement Research at the Judson Church, Theater for the New City, Dixon Place, La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, and Harkness Dance Center. More recently, Marcos's dance theater pieces have been produced by the Strand Theater for debut at Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland, Maine, and contemporary dance companies in San Diego.
Marcos was a 2023-2024 Far South Border North grant recipient sponsored by the California Arts Council with the Conrad Prebys Foundation. He works to uplift student voices in his role as a Dance Lecturer at UC San Diego and as Adjunct Professor at San Diego City College. In the 2025-2026 school year at UCSD, Marcos will be teaching Contact improvisation and Dance On Film. At SDCC he will be teaching Movement for Wellness.