By Sanya Wason
Jennifer Beman, the editor of the documentary “Call Me Dancer”, was joined by director and producer Leslie Shampaine in a screening of the award-winning film at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Friday night.
“Call Me Dancer” is a heartwarming documentary about a 21-year-old Indian man named Manish Chauhan, a very talented street-dancer. Chauhan and his family were unable to afford dance school, leaving him forced to follow a traditional Indian lifestyle and remain enrolled in business school. This all changes when he meets Yehuda Maor, a 70-year-old Israeli ballet master, at the local dance school to which he received a scholarship. The documentary follows Chauhan’s fight to become a dancer in India, and his journey abroad as he chases his dreams.
“[The film] is a story of hope, heartache, and hard work,” said the film’s website.
Stephanie Shonekan, the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, moderated a Q&A following the screening. Shonekan admitted she cried during the emotional parts of the film.
“I am so moved by this film, it is just gorgeous,” she said.
Shonekan began by congratulating the two women on their film, then proceeded to dive deep into the filmmaking process. When describing the editing steps, Beman explained that the film took about a year just to edit. Shampaine then explained that this was the first film she had ever directed, and felt as though she “had no idea what [she] was doing.”
Although the film began its shooting process before the pandemic, Beman told the small but attentive audience that this is the film she will always be most proud of, and it’s exciting how she’s right back where she started, at the University of Maryland.
“To have a film shown here is pretty stellar,” Beman said.
The documentary left the audience with hope, and as Shampaine explained in another interview with the Washington Hebrew Congregation, “people who see the film feel inspired…I wanted people to see how artists do what they do.” In the documentary, Chauhan endures so many obstacles, yet manages to continue pursuing his passion for dance over the years.
Shonekan said that as the dean of Arts and Humanities, she is “constantly looking for ways of convincing everyone why [ARHU] is important,” explaining that this film was very important to her.
“Art transcends,” Shampaine said back. “It allows us to communicate on a different level, opening up a medium.”
The documentary won seven awards, including the Art of Storytelling award at the Doc Edge Film Festival.
More information about the documentary, including screening dates, can be found on the website, along with the contact information of all the filmmakers.
Featured Image: Jennifer Beman, Leslie Shampaine and Stephanie Shonekan discuss the film. Photo by Sanya Wason.