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Contribution short abstract

Through the lens of VHS home movies, the film delves into childhood memories, showcasing dance not only as a tool of expression but also as a manifestation of existence. By blending imagination and fiction, it seeks to reclaim agency and power for seven-year-old Sadaf and her classmates.

Contribution long abstract

A Guide to Dance for Adult Children deeply aligns with the spirit of “Un/Commoning Anthropology” by examining the dynamic relationship between resistance and solidarity within both personal and shared histories. Drawing on digitized VHS home movies, the film challenges dominant narratives surrounding cultural repression and gendered norms, offering a fresh perspective on how shared experiences can be reclaimed as acts of empowerment and imagination.

The film critiques entrenched power structures, such as enforced hijab and gender segregation, while celebrating the resilience of women who channel creativity and self-expression through dance and art. It reclaims personal and collective experiences, fostering a sense of solidarity among women and children in navigating restrictive environments. At the same time, it resists reducing these struggles to simplistic victimhood, instead reimagining them with humor, agency, and an inventive narrative approach.

By integrating memory, imagination, and multimodal storytelling, the project pushes the boundaries of traditional anthropology. Its blend of archival footage and animation becomes both a critique of systemic oppression and a testament to self-determined identity. The film encourages audiences to consider how cultural and personal archives can inspire resistance, foster connections, and envision transformative possibilities for the future.

*Please find the link to the film below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f6BAQJe9h2p8YzgLyrwe9xG_3OJ_9M8T/view?usp=sharing