2026 WAWDF Weekend #1 - Film Screenings

World Arts West is proud to announce the return of our annual Dance Festival!

The Festival will be presented over three weekends in July, August and September. This year our Festival theme is “Legacy of Liberation!”

We are exploring the themes of Legacy, Empowerment and Belonging leading up to our 50th Anniversary in 2028.

Weekend One begins with films that explore how creating films about dance + telling our own stories add to the cultural record, explore dance in a new medium, and innovate a legacy of liberation. We will be joined by Delina Patrice Brooks of Delina Dream Productions who created a four part documentary, Bare Soles Bare Soul, in partnership with Clenched Fist Productions and OLU8 Films. We will also view three short films by Ishami Dance Company: Ancestor Song, Because You're a Woman, and Teele Dharo. Ishami Dance Co-founder Ishika Seth, will join our question and answer session for the films as well. Finally, World Arts West will share a short compilation of archival footage highlighting recently digitized as part of our Multicultural Archiving Project (MAP).

We are proud to be hosted by Dance Mission Theater!
Make sure you join the mailing list and follow us on Instagram for all the latest updates at www. WorldArtsWest.org!

$10 presale/$15 general/$20 in person

Donations accepted! Join our community of givers by donating to our General Fund so that we can continue to pay festival artists, speakers and staff equitably. Tap here to Donate!

This year our merch will focus on the World Arts West brand that you can wear and take with you all year long! This means t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles, tote bags, and more!
Buy your merch NOW and wear to the festival! --> WAW Merch Store

Dance Mission is located in the heart of the Mission at the corner of 24th and Mission. The closest parking lot is a few blocks away on 21st and Bartlett.
It is an ADA accessible building with an elevator.

They are directly across from the 24th Street BART station and are accessible by MUNI lines 14, 49, 48, 12 and 67. Visit 511.org.

By purchasing a ticket you:

• agree to allow your image to be used for promotional materials and/or social media by festival organizers, sponsors, and partners.
• Agree to take personal measures for your own health and safety. That can include bringing water and snacks, any medications, informing festival staff if you begin to feel faint or dizzy.

(Headshot by Bethanie Hines)

(Headshot courtesy of Artist)

(Headshot courtesy of Artist)

Info: DELINA PATRICE BROOKS is a writer, director and producer from San Francisco and Oakland alike. Nominated for three ISADORA DUNCAN AWARDS, Delina won for Outstanding Ensemble Performance in “An Open Love Letter to Black Fathers” which she wrote, produced, directed, scored, choreographed, and starred in. Delina is a 2023 DISNEY WRITERS PROGRAM FINALIST and a 2023 RESIDENT ARTIST at THE KENNEDY CENTER. She has choreographed/danced for CHANCE THE RAPPER on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE!, KANYE WEST at COACHELLA among others, and was Movement Director for "Casa de Spirits", a play written and directed by veteran actor ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH. A company member of Campo Santo, Brooks has raised over six-figures in small grants for her own work and has been commissioned/presented by YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS, NATIONAL PERFORMANCE NETWORK, LA WOMEN’S THEATRE FESTIVAL, THE BLACK CHOREOGRAPHERS FESTIVAL, AFROSOLO FESTIVAL, COUNTERPULSE THEATER and many more.

Info: Ishika Seth has been a dance artist for twenty years. She is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Ishami Dance Company. She has self-produced shows, choreographed festivals, tours, and theatrical productions. She received her BA in Dance from San Jose State University and was the Assistant Artistic Director of Mona Khan Company for over ten years. She has been a dance educator teaching Indian Contemporary and Jazz to the Bay Area community for over fourteen years. She grew up in India learning Indian Contemporary, Mayubhaj Chhau, Jazz and Yoga. Ishami is a contemporary dance company based in the San Francisco Bay Area that blends South Asian and global dance forms. Our mission is to center queerness, women’s voices, and experiences of the South Asian diaspora. We blend tradition with modern storytelling and spark conversations through art. We have toured our productions to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Info: Cora Barnes (she/her) has over 15 years of engagement with the Bay Area dance community as an artist and advocate. She has supported local festivals and dance companies, including CubaCaribe Festival, San Francisco Salsa Rueda Festival and Black Choreographers Festival, with logistics, fundraising, production and hospitality.

Cora has performed widely with Cuban dance companies and was the founder and co-artistic director of Timbea, an award winning, all-women, salsa rueda dance group. She is a proud alumnus of San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, having performed with both the Arenas Dance Company and Las Que Son Son.
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​As an arts administrator for World Arts West, Cora is part of a committed team serving the culturally-rooted dance community through advocacy, capacity building programming, and archiving and documentation.

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