Dance

A family’s fight to keep dance alive against fear and intolerance

Sama (Dance) follows Robar and her family as they struggle to establish a ballet dance group under conditions marked by hostility, insecurity, and persistent obstacles. Their ambition is simple yet fraught with risk, to build a space where ballet can exist and be practiced freely. Along the way, they face repeated threats, a lack of financial support, and the basic problem of having no stable place to rehearse, challenges that place constant pressure on both their safety and their determination.

The film focuses on the everyday effort required to keep this project alive. Rehearsals become acts of resistance, and each step learned or repeated carries emotional and symbolic weight. Rather than presenting dance as spectacle, the documentary foregrounds the fragile conditions that surround its creation, revealing how cultural expression can be perceived as provocation in an environment shaped by fear and intolerance.

Through an intimate observational approach, the documentary film explores themes of perseverance, family solidarity, and the power of artistic passion. Ballet becomes a language through which Robar and her family assert dignity and hope, even as they confront narrow minded attitudes and open bigotry. Sama (Dance) ultimately reflects on whether creativity and collective resolve can endure when confronted with forces determined to silence them.