B L A C K C H O R E O G R A P H E R S
F E S T I V A L: H E R E & N O W
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BCF is Celebrating 20 Years!!!
AWARDED ~BEST OF THE BAY
- SF BAY GUARDIAN 2009
RECOGNIZED BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
FOR PRESERVING THE LEGACY OF BLACK DANCE
IN THE BAY AREA, 2019 & 2025
SF Classical Voice review of BCF 20th anniversary
"Black Choreographers Festival Reveals a Vibrant Tapestry of Dance..."
- Melissa Hudson Bell Read more
SF Chronicle review of BCF 20th anniversary
"This is looking like community coming out to support, so you know our hearts are full right now,” Laura Elaine Ellis said from the Dance Mission Theater stage on Saturday, Feb. 22,..."
-Rachel Howard Read more
SF Chronicle article features BCF for events to see in 2025
"Every milestone naturally brings reflection, but the Black Choreographers Festival's 20th anniversary slated for February is powered by something far more profound than nostalgia." -Rachel Howard Read more
20th Anniversary Events
Spirit of Sankofa: Bridging the Legacies of BCM and BCF Featuring: Archival Exhibit, Panel, & Performance (past event) Read more
Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now
Celebrating 20 years!!!
20th Anniversary Events
Spirit of Sankofa: Bridging the Legacies of BCM and BCF
Featuring: Archival Exhibit, Panel, & Performance
February 7 (Fri @7p)
Panel Discussion, Throwback to the Future, moderated by Dr. Halifu Osumare
Featuring: Joanna Haigood, Robert Moses, Raissa Simpson, Dazaun Soleyn
Two generations of Black Choreographers dialogue about how the issues during the
Black Choreographers Moving Toward the 21st Century (BCM) a national dance initiative (1989-1995) have shifted, yet remain the same today, during the 20th anniversary of Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now (BCF).
Join us for a stimulating discussion about what it means to be Black in the Bay Area dance scene Then and Now.
Free w/ Museum Admission
Doors open at 6p
6 – 7p Enjoy viewing MoAD’s beautiful art exhibit and BCF’s Artful Archival Exhibit
7p Throwback to the Future, Panel Discussion
Directly following the panel – stay for our Cake & Chat Event!
Attend this panel at MoAD and receive a special discount code to BCF performances at Dance Mission Theater.
February 8 (Sat @12, 2, 4p)
Dynamic Performances of Healing Intimacy
Featuring Dazaun Soleyn and Algin "Align" Sterling
Choreographers/collaborators Soleyn and Sterling create and perform
an engaging structured movement & music improvisation.
With Special Guests: Claire Fisher-Mendez and Jordon E. Dabney
An immersive piece that activates MoAD's galleries in response to the current exhibition,
Liberatory Living: Protective Interiors & Radical Black Joy.
Each iteration is different, come for one or stay for all three!
FREE to the Public
RSVP at MoAD
BCF @ MoAD events are in community partnership with and co-sponsored by the Museum of the African Diaspora.
BCF Concerts
in association with Dance Mission Theater
Saturday, February 22 & Sunday, February 23 @ 7:30p
Dance Mission Theater, 3316 – 24th St., San Francisco
Featuring the works of:
Byb Chanel Bibene
$20 Adv/Students/Seniors
$25 General at the door
$35 VIP - Reserved Seating
2 - Performances Pass @ $30 ($15 per performance date)
San Francisco Dance Film Festival @ BCF
Dance Mission Theater, 3316 – 24th St., San Francisco
The San Francisco Dance Film Festival presents a special screening at the Black Choreographers Festival, featuring three powerful films that explore themes of struggle, resilience, and liberation. The program highlights include Flower starring Misty Copeland, Free by filmmaker Yoram Savion, and Every Second by Antwan Williams, whose work is deeply connected to local creative communities. This selection showcases the Bay Area’s rich dance and film culture, bringing together artists who use movement to tell compelling and transformative stories.
Doors open @ 7:15p for Film screenings - Free with admission to BCF
Every Second (Sat. 2/22)
“Every Second” is a poignant short film that delves into the life of a man who has just been released
from prison but finds himself struggling with the reality that he will never be free from his experience of prison.
Director: Antwan Williams, Maurice Reed, Reyna Brown
Choreographers: Antwan Williams, Amie Dowling, Maurice Reed, Reyna Brown
FREE (Sun. 2/23)
The stigma of criminality haunts a young Black man in “FREE,” a poignant short film narrated from
inside his mind and brought to life through his body.
Director: Yoram Joseph Savion
Poetry: Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Music: Daniel Bernard Roumain, Producer: SOZO Impact
Flower (Sat. 2/22 & Sun. 2/23)
Flower is a short episodic film series starring world-renowned ballerina and trailblazer Misty Copeland
with co-stars Babatunji Johnson and Chrisiina Johnson, that tells a powerful story through dance and movement.
Director: Lauren Finerman
Choreographers: Alonzo King, Rich + Tone Talauega
Music: Raphael Saadiq
SAVE THE DATE
SFDFF 2025 Festival Dates: November 6-9 at Brava Theater and streaming on MarqueeTV
The Black Choreographers Festival: Here and Now – is made possible by the on-going support of the San Francisco Arts Commission, City of Oakland Cultural Arts Funding Program, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, community partners Dance Mission Theater and Dimensions Dance Theater.