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Posted On: July 24th 2026, 03:05 am
For her master’s program at The New School in New York, Haitian filmmaker and feminist activist Pascale Solages @pascale_solages directed her first documentary, “Born to Dance. Forced to Run”. The film follows Steven Labady, a Haitian dancer forced to leave his country, to explore migration through exile, identity, and the role of art in the lives of migrants. It will have its world premiere on July 25, 2026, at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum in New York.
The documentary tells the story of Steven Labady @steevenlabady, a young Haitian dancer who left Haiti because of insecurity. His journey takes him from the Dominican Republic to refugee camps in Germany, then Switzerland, before reaching the United States. Throughout this difficult path, dance remains a key part of his identity and his connection to his homeland.
In an interview with AyiboPost, Pascale Solages explains the importance of culture for migrant communities. “Music, dance, or sports are things migrants hold on to because they keep a connection with their country. They bring us together,” she says. She also recalls the emotional challenges of filming with Steeven Labady, whose memories of exile sometimes made interviews difficult to complete.
The idea for the documentary began as a university project at The New School before becoming a feature-length film combining archives, testimonies, and choreography. To shape the visual story, Solages worked with Haitian journalist and cinematographer Ralph Thomassaint Joseph. The production is led by VOICES Productions, with the participation of Guerline Jozef from Haitian Bridge Alliance and the Little Haiti BK collective.
The film also comes at a time of renewed debates about Haitian migration in the United States. Recent decisions affecting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) have raised concerns among hundreds of thousands of Haitian nationals living in the country. Through her work, Solages wants to show migration beyond statistics and documents, focusing instead on the human experiences behind these journeys.
#BornToDanceForcedToRun
#HaitianCinema
#HaitianMigration
#HaitiDiaspora
The documentary tells the story of Steven Labady @steevenlabady, a young Haitian dancer who left Haiti because of insecurity. His journey takes him from the Dominican Republic to refugee camps in Germany, then Switzerland, before reaching the United States. Throughout this difficult path, dance remains a key part of his identity and his connection to his homeland.
In an interview with AyiboPost, Pascale Solages explains the importance of culture for migrant communities. “Music, dance, or sports are things migrants hold on to because they keep a connection with their country. They bring us together,” she says. She also recalls the emotional challenges of filming with Steeven Labady, whose memories of exile sometimes made interviews difficult to complete.
The idea for the documentary began as a university project at The New School before becoming a feature-length film combining archives, testimonies, and choreography. To shape the visual story, Solages worked with Haitian journalist and cinematographer Ralph Thomassaint Joseph. The production is led by VOICES Productions, with the participation of Guerline Jozef from Haitian Bridge Alliance and the Little Haiti BK collective.
The film also comes at a time of renewed debates about Haitian migration in the United States. Recent decisions affecting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) have raised concerns among hundreds of thousands of Haitian nationals living in the country. Through her work, Solages wants to show migration beyond statistics and documents, focusing instead on the human experiences behind these journeys.
#BornToDanceForcedToRun
#HaitianCinema
#HaitianMigration
#HaitiDiaspora
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