the wake (a dream becoming)

A poetic screen dance film that follows a woman’s desire to reconnect with her dreams and ancestral wisdom as a way to navigate our increasingly divided and unequal world. Inspired by Birago Diop’s poem Breaths, the film weaves movement, poetry, and cinematic storytelling to explore dreams as a bridge to intuition, memory, guidance and transformation.

Commissioned by Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, and Digital Black Dance Ecologies.

The film premiered on Friday 28th of March at Thrum: Black Dance, Black Futures, Digital Realms at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. It has also been showcased at Let’s Dance International Frontiers in May 2025.

Collaborators:
Videography & edit Sky Ainsbury
Music / sound: @pato_studios
Technologists:
Alyssa Mello & Adam Braun
Mentor @clemencedebaig_art Clemence Debaig