Listen to this post: 

I haven’t posted anyone’s Kickstarter in a while. Now’s the perfect time to get to it. Some local artists are putting together a dance concert and documentary film. Both look fantastic. Find out more at www.soardocumentary.com.

This is a local project. Yay! Sisters Kiera Brinkley and Uriah Boyd are the film’s subjects and co-producers. I love to hear that because it means they have some decision-making in how the film is made. You don’t always see that in documentaries, especially one where the subjects are African-American and the filmmakers white. Likewise, Kiera has a disability, something that some filmmakers think can be a neat quirk to exploit for the audience’s fun. I don’t see that happening here at all!

[Image description: A black and white image of two female, African-American dancers with “SOAR” in large pink lettering and the sentence “Your concept of what’s possible is about to change.” One dancer lies on her back with her arms and legs facing up, holding aloft the second dancer, whose arms and legs are short from being amputated early in life.]

Here’s how the sisters introduce themselves on the film’s website:

“Kiera feels as though dance gave her a voice. When people see a wheelchair, they most often jump to conclusions, which makes it challenging for them to communicate with her. Dance was and IS her communication technique. With her Medical Assisting degree she hopes to work in a hospital with toddlers and infants, while at the same time choreograph. One of her biggest goals is to inspire and encourage as many people as possible.”

“After graduating from Jefferson High School with an award for Dancer of the Year, Uriah enrolled in the Constructing Hope Pre-apprenticeship Program. Her goal is to have a firm idea of exactly what trade she wants to work in by the end of the program. So far she’s learned that construction is very demanding and intolerant of excuses, but her love of creating things and seeing hard work pay off convinces her she will succeed in that environment. By entering into the trades field, she will prove to herself and others that being a black woman is by no means a crutch.”

Pop on over to Kickstarter at http://kck.st/MrCd93 to watch their video and read more about the SOAR Documentary and Dance Project. They’re partnering with a lot of great groups like Polaris Dance Theater, The Portland Ballet, Jefferson Dancers and Kemba Shannon Ensemble. Please donate today!