Overview:
A new documentary by Haitian filmmaker Pascale Solages chronicles the migration journey of Haitian dancer Steeven Labady, examining displacement, identity and resilience through dance ahead of its July 25 Brooklyn premiere.
Editorial note: The Haitian Times is a media sponsor of the film’s premiere.
A new documentary by Haitian filmmaker Pascale Solages will bring the story of migration, displacement and resilience to the screen through the life of Haitian dancer Steeven Labady when it premieres July 25 at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
Born to Dance. Forced to Run. follows Labady’s journey from Haiti to the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, Germany and the United States, documenting the challenges he faced while seeking safety, legal stability and a place to belong. The documentary combines interviews, archival footage and dance performances to examine migration as a human experience rather than a political talking point.
Throughout the film, dance serves as the thread connecting Labady’s experiences across continents. The documentary portrays movement as both an artistic practice and a means of survival, showing how he used dance to preserve his identity while navigating discrimination, violence, economic hardship and uncertain immigration status.
Solages, a Haitian filmmaker, feminist and human rights activist, said the project grew from a graduate assignment at The New School, where she initially envisioned it as a short film.
Meet Pascale Solages, a passionate advocate who amplifies Haitian women and girls’ voices globally
“Too often, we talk about migration through numbers, policies, and political debates, while forgetting the human beings behind those headlines. When I met Steeven, I saw not only the story of a Haitian migrant, but the story of an artist fighting to preserve his identity, dignity, and dreams despite being forced to cross borders again and again,” Solages said in an interview with The Haitian Times.
“As a filmmaker, feminist, and migrant myself, I felt a responsibility to tell that story with honesty and humanity.”
The documentary also highlights Labady’s accomplishments as an artist. He began studying Haitian traditional folklore and modern dance in Haiti before earning a scholarship to continue his training in the Dominican Republic, where he became the first Haitian graduate of the country’s National School of Dance. His career later expanded to Switzerland, Germany and performances across Europe and North America.
The film is produced by Guerline Jozef, co-founder and executive director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, along with Little Haiti BK and VOICES Productions.
Jozef, a longtime immigrant rights advocate, has received international recognition for her work on migration and racial justice.
“My commitment remains rooted in advancing dignity, justice, and transformative change for the communities we serve—communities that have too often been ignored, marginalized, and denied their humanity,” Jozef said in a statement after receiving the Women Impact–Afro-Caribbean Diaspora Award from the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance.
The official premiere is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 25 at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. The screening will be followed by a live performance, panel discussion and community reception. Panelists are expected to include Solages, Labady, Jozef, journalist and director of photography Ralph Thomassaint Joseph, and moderator Stacey Samuels.
“My hope is that viewers leave the film seeing migration differently, as a human experience shaped by resilience, love, loss, and hope,” Solages said, “ [and] the film sparks conversations about the responsibility we all share in protecting the dignity and rights of migrants, while reminding Haitians that our stories deserve to be told by us, in all their complexity.”
Facts Only
* The documentary chronicles the life of Haitian dancer Steeven Labady.
* The film examines themes of migration, displacement, identity, and resilience.
* Labady’s journey followed routes from Haiti to the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, Germany, and the United States.
* Dance serves as a connecting element across Labady’s experiences.
* Labady used dance to preserve his identity while navigating discrimination, violence, economic hardship, and uncertain immigration status.
* Pascale Solages is the filmmaker, a Haitian filmmaker, feminist, and human rights activist.
* The project originated from a graduate assignment at The New School.
* Labady studied Haitian traditional folklore and modern dance in Haiti.
* Labady became the first Haitian graduate of the Dominican National School of Dance.
* The film is produced by Guerline Jozef, co-founder of Haitian Bridge Alliance, along with Little Haiti BK and VOICES Productions.
* The official premiere is scheduled for July 25 at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
Executive Summary
A documentary by Pascale Solages explores the migration journey of Haitian dancer Steeven Labady, focusing on themes of displacement, identity, and resilience across his movement from Haiti to the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, Germany, and the United States. The film, titled "Born to Dance. Forced to Run," uses dance as a central thread to examine migration as a human experience rather than a political issue. The work integrates interviews, archival footage, and dance performances to illustrate how Labady used movement to maintain his identity while confronting discrimination, violence, economic hardship, and uncertain immigration status.
The project is supported by the experiences of Solages, a Haitian filmmaker, feminist, and human rights activist, who aimed to present migration through a human lens rather than purely political discourse. The film highlights Labady's artistic career, which involved training in Haitian folklore and modern dance before studying abroad, including becoming the first Haitian graduate of the Dominican National School of Dance. Production credits include Guerline Jozef, co-founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, along with Little Haiti BK and VOICES Productions.
The documentary is set to premiere on July 25 at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, followed by a public event including a panel discussion featuring Solages, Labady, and other contributors. The stated aim of the film is to prompt viewers to view migration through the lens of resilience, love, loss, and hope, emphasizing the shared responsibility in protecting migrant dignity.
Full Take
The narrative structure deliberately positions physical movement—dance—as the primary epistemology for understanding complex geopolitical realities like migration. This framing shifts the focus from macro-political debates to embodied, lived experience, which inherently challenges dominant narratives that prioritize policy over personal suffering. The juxtaposition of Labady's artistic trajectory with his migratory path suggests a pattern where cultural expression functions as an internal mechanism for agency when external political structures deny it.
The amplification of Solages’ voice, framed through the lens of feminist and human rights activism, indicates a resistance against monolithic state-centric definitions of migration. The inclusion of multiple locations (Haiti, DR, Switzerland, Germany, US) establishes a trajectory of fragmented belonging, suggesting that resilience is not a singular outcome but an ongoing process enacted across contested territories. The pattern here involves reframing systemic hardship not as a consequence of external forces alone, but as the lived reality inscribed within physical practice.
The implication for viewers lies in recognizing how narratives are constructed to prioritize certain types of suffering over others. When migration is presented solely through political or statistical data, agency is minimized; by centering dance, the work attempts to reclaim a form of human narrative that resists reduction. The resulting dynamic forces an inquiry into what constitutes dignity when physical and legal statuses are constantly under threat. What other embodied practices, beyond dance, are systematically excluded from the conversation about migrant existence?
Sentinel — Human
The text reads like standard, well-contextualized press material for an arts/human rights documentary, showing strong thematic focus and natural voice.