Screendance Deconstructed

Hadi Moussally (Bellydance Vogue), Fabiola Santana & Will Dickie (Canning Town) and Tanin Torabi (The Derive) join filmmaker Sima Gonsai in conversation to discuss their films, the inspiration behind them, and how they made them.
*Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances Tanin Torabi is no longer able to join this conversation, and will be replaced by Brice Larrieu (aka Skorpion Dancer).

Each of the three films are completely different in their approach, making use of contrasting techniques. During the conversation the filmmakers will elucidate on the barriers they overcame to create their films, and how some of the barriers and limited resources provided a useful framework to actually make the pieces.

There will be plenty of opportunity for the audience to ask questions at the end of the discussion, and the films are available to watch as part of our Screendance Shorts programme from 7pm on Weds 18th November (the films will be available for 24 hours after the event start time).

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances Tanin Torabi is no longer able to join this conversation, and will be replaced by Brice Larrieu (aka Skorpion Dancer) concept creator and choreographer of Am I Paris?.

Hadi Moussally
Hadi Moussally was born in Lebanon in 1987. At age 18, he studied film direction in France where he acquires a degree in “Fiction Cinema” from Paris-Est Marne la Vallée University. Moussally then took a masters in “Documentary and Anthropological Cinema” from Paris X Nanterre University, in the course of Jean Rouch. From 2012, he shifted towards the world of fashion and directed several experimental films some of which received various distinctions in festivals. In 2014 he made his first documentary on the end of his grandmother’s life, and in 2016 a docu-portrait on a senior model. In 2018 he completed an experimental project on albinism “Positive” whose photos have been exhibited at the UNESCO, the City Hall of Paris and Beirut Art Fair as well. In 2015 he founded the production unit H7O7, and then in 2020, he founded the collective “Hybrid Wave” with around 30 hybrid artists from around the world.
hadimoussally.com

Tanin Torabi
Tanin Torabi (طنین ترابی) is a contemporary dance artist based in Iran. She is working in the realm of performance, choreography, and film, exploring the connection between the three. Torabi holds an MA in Contemporary Dance from the University of Limerick and a BA in Sociology.
Torabi’s dance films have screened in more than a hundred dance film and film festivals worldwide and have received numerous awards in categories like “Creative Vision Award”, “Best Artist Film”, “Jury Award”, “Best Inspirational Film”, “Best Inspiring Woman in a Film”, “Best Experimental Film”, “Best Cinematography” and “Best Documentary”, to name a few.
 Alongside her film making, Tanin has choreographed a number of solo performances that have been performed internationally and has performed in ensemble pieces by international choreographers during her stay in Ireland. Her contribution to theatre pieces as a Movement Director and/or Choreographer has also been widely valued by theatre directors and their audiences in Iran.
Since 2020, Tanin has become one of the main members of The School of Hard Knocks dance company directed by the renowned NYC based choreographer Yoshiko Chuma. Her first collaboration with Yoshiko Chuma was in the company’s online show series called SML (Saturday Morning Live)- Zooma: Dead End, commissioned by La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.   
tanintorabi.art

Will Dickie & Fabiola Santana
Will Dickie and Fabiola Santana are Liverpool based artists who work in dance, theatre and live art. They are long term collaborators. All their work is powered by psychophysical practice, particularly meditative/martial arts and eastern performer training.
Right now Will Dickie and Fabiola Santana are working on White Sun, a performance that uses text and movement to uncover relationships between power, privilege, divorce and addiction. And further developing A Home for Grief, a body of work exploring ritual, memory, belonging, grief, loss, legacy, and bereavement practices. These will be touring in 2021.
fabiolasantana.co.uk
willdickie.co.uk

Sima Gonsai
Sima Gonsai is an award-winning freelance director/filmmaker with a specialism in screen dance, film training and video content production.  Movement and being moved is at the heart of my work, from documenting global communities to capturing dance on film. I have a keen eye for visual storytelling and have created work across screen dance, education and promotional film.  My film background began in 1998 with a focus on exploring the visual language of dance on screen. I was fascinated by finding new ways of artistically telling a story. This saw the release of my debut short film KITA.  The piece deconstructed Indian classical dance to its simplest form by experimenting with techniques of hand-drawn 16mm direct animation. This experimental curiosity has been embedded in my work, leading me to document diverse cultures and environments around the world. Artistically filming my subjects is key in my approach to producing promotional film across the arts, corporate and charity sectors.
simagonsai.com