This short film profiles the three stories of Okams Racer collective members Ana Sosa, Jenna Berlyn and Sam Krystal during the pandemic.
“We are all affected in one way or another by Covid-19. Whether it is loss of a loved one, stress over online school, or having your career on hold, all these issues cause us to feel the sadness, desperation, and frustration that come with containment. Dance unites us during these hard times, and we find solace in dancing together, while apart.”
Ana Sosa – Choreographer, Dancer, Co-Producer
Jenna Berlyn – Dancer and Collaborator
Sam Krystal – Dancer and Collaborator
Lisa Metz – Videographer, Co-director and Co-Producer
Music: “Kandaiki” by Mammal Hands (used with the kind permission of Mammal Hands)
Sam Presley – Production Assistant and Set Designer
Sam Presley, Sarah Hutton, Allie Shiff, Ted Littlemore – Outside Eyes
Okams Racer Artists
Ana Sosa was born and raised in Mexico. When she turned eight years old, she moved to Vancouver where she studied all types of dance at Dance Co and Harbour Dance Centre. At eighteen she moved to New York City where she studied business at Pace University, and continued her dance education at Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, Pace University Dance Program, The Tango Company and Gibney Dance. She moved back to Mexico City in 2015 where she completed an MBA at IPADE Business School. After graduating, she moved to London, UK where she completed a Masters in Science at The City University of London, and continued her dance training at Pineapple Dance, Studio 68, The Place, Rambert, and Oh Creative Space. Now back in Vancouver, she has performed with Small Stage & The Dance Centre’s 12 Minutes Max and Open Stage programs, and has worked as a dance video artist for artists such as Elle Wolf, Deathly Chill, and SoulPush.
Samantha Krystal was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. In 2019, she graduated from the dance training program Modus Operandi. She is currently teaching at The Landing Dance Centre while pursuing a degree in Microbiology and Immunology at UBC. Samantha has a passion for art, and enjoys creating colourful paintings. She is interested in finding ways to combine her love of science, art, and dance together. In the future, she would like to continue acting as an interpreter for other choreographers while also developing her own choreographic voice.
Jenna Berlyn is a contemporary dance artist based in Vancouver. She is a graduate of Modus Operandi Contemporary Dance Program where her final year was completed on scholarship from the BC Arts Council. In 2019, Jenna completed the contact improvisation scholarship at EDAM. She has pursued summer training at the Banff Centre, b12 festival, Eastman/Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Henny Jurriëns Foundation. As a freelance artist, she has performed in works by Paras Terezakis/Kinesis Dance, Daisy Thompson, Jennifer Mcleish-Lewis, Caldonia Walton and Still Moon Arts Society. As well as interpreting the works of others, Jenna pursues her own choreographic interests through performance and film. She was a commissioned artist with Festival of Recorded Movement, where her dance and animation film, Trace, Tread, premiered in 2019. Most recently, Jenna completed a mentorship with Francesca Frewer and a research period with Tia Kushniruk funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.