Only When I Dance

Asia Pacific Premiere

One girl and one boy, both black and poor, plan to dance their way out of Rios de Janiero’s violent favelas. Only When I Dance follows Isabela and Irlan as they prepare to compete at the prestigious international ballet competitions in Lausanne and New York.

Passing the Brazilian selection panel in October 2007, Isabela’s family is struggling to raise funds for her to go to the US. Being black means she is unlikely to dance ballet in her own country where black ballerinas are unheard of. Her only hope is to win a place at a school in America or Europe.

Irlan is lucky enough to have a mentor who will pay for his travel costs, but his rigorous training and work schedule means that he can only attend school for a few hours a day. He may not get the grades needed to join a foreign dance company. His best hope is to be spotted by a major international ballet company.

This is a narrative of coming of age, chasing a dream against race and circumstance, and the price for talent, ambition and success.