Humans of LADFF
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Why Dance Films? It brings together all of my interests into one beautiful art form! As a former dancer turned filmmaker, I’m slightly obsessed!
Quick Connect: @nicolespringfilmcollab
Nicole stumbled into the world of screendance festivals in her mid-20s and felt an immediate calling to organize her own film festival dedicated to the genre. In 2017, she took the leap and founded the LA Dance Shorts Film Festival. The festival was renamed the Los Angeles Dance Film Festival in 2022.
With over 9 years of experience in producing events, Nicole finds great joy in providing screening opportunities for filmmakers.
When not working with LADFF, Nicole can be found producing and directing her own films.
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Why Dance Films? The best analogy I can come up with is that dance films are to narrative films what painting is to illustration - similar tools but different intentions. You approach dance films from a fine art art-orientation, looking to first and foremost capture a concept, feeling, mood or even story, but through movement, rather than a more scripted or linear narrative structure. I have a fine art background, and I teach dance filmmaking at an art school (CalArts), so for me, the process is exciting and organic to how I like to create.
Quick Connect: @joshsrose
JOSH S. ROSE is a multidisciplinary artist working in photography, film and writing. His practice bridges visual and performing arts, often exploring the expressive boundaries between movement, emotion and image.
In his longstanding collaborations with leading dance companies and performers, Rose accentuates the poetry of authenticity alongside exacting composition, a balance he describes as technical romanticism. This sensibility has come to define his evolving trajectory as a multidisciplinary storyteller pioneering the creation of art about other art forms.
His work has been commissioned and exhibited internationally, appearing everywhere from Vogue to the Super Bowl to film festivals, and most recently with a large-scale installation project for THE LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, expected to be seen by more than a billion people. Rose is a sought-after collaborator, having brought his lens to artists and arts organizations of all kinds, including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Los Angeles Dance Project, The Museum of Contemporary Art, LA Phil, The Wallis, Benjamin Millepied, Bobbi Jean Smith, Or Schraiber, Doug Aitken and many others.
Before dedicating himself fully to image-making, Rose spent two decades as a creative leader within the Interpublic Group, ultimately serving as Chief Creative Officer. He later founded Humans Are Social, a creative production company. Rose’s impressive client list has included brands like Volkswagen, Playstation, Dr Pepper, Fisher-Price and Samsung.
Website: joshrosefilms.com
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Why Dance Films? Because it allows for so many possibilities.
Alyssa Thompson currently works in animation as a Production Manager. Before finding a career in animation, her work as a dance artist took her throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Since shifting her creative work to dance films, she has found a place where her background in live performance and film experience are able to intersect. She particularly appreciates that in film you get the opportunity to step out of reality and experiment with something you envision in limitless ways. Alyssa also enjoys teaching Pilates and spending time with her husband and their two cats.
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Why Dance Films? Dance on film is able to reach a wider audience and gives dancers and filmmakers the opportunity to explore on a much larger scale!
Quick Connect: @fcguzman
A San Antonio, Texas native, Felicia Guzman began her ballet training at the Vladimir Marek Ballet Academy and performed with the San Antonio Ballet Junior Company. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from MIT, balancing her academic pursuits with a lifelong passion for dance.
After relocating to Southern California, Felicia refined her artistry under Ruben Tonoyan at Media Dance Center and performed as a Soloist with Media City Ballet. Her diverse career includes performances with Ballet Santa Barbara, Lost Angels Ballet, City Ballet of Los Angeles, Creations Dance Theater, Kenneth Walker Dance Project, and LA Unbound, showcasing her versatility and dedication to the craft.
Felicia's artistic journey has evolved to encompass a variety of dance styles and mediums. In 2020, she partnered with Maritza Navarro to present the LA Dance Film Festival, building on an event originally founded by Betsy Uhler and Lex Roman. As a current member of the festival's leadership team, Felicia is passionate about celebrating the intersection of dance and film, curating an inspiring platform for artists from around the globe.
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Why Dance Films? They create a forever format for a temporal art form.
Quick Connect: @lollypopculture
Lolly is a choreographer, stylist, and somatic mentor who weaves together healing, artistic exploration, and embodied practice to help people connect more deeply with their bodies and express their most authentic selves.
Rooted in dance, fashion, and somatics, their work empowers clients to reclaim presence and identity through movement. Based in Los Angeles, Lolly teaches weekly contemporary dance classes and offers one-on-one sessions in Pilates and somatic mentorship.
Through their brand LollyPopCulture, they blend the intentionality of fine art with the influence of pop culture, exploring what unapologetic self-expression feels like in the body—and how that sensation can be translated across artistic mediums. Their signature movement style is intimate, raw, and unmistakably their own: a fusion of anatomical precision and emotional instinct.
Since 2021, Lolly has led somatic meditations for dance film festival audiences—both online and in person—inviting viewers into a more embodied experience of movement onscreen. As a board member of the Los Angeles Dance Film Festival (LADFF), they are passionate about expanding how people engage with dance in cinematic form.
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Why Dance Films? One of my favorite film professors said that capturing dance on film is one of the truest and purest ways to honor the art form. And I believe that wholeheartedly.
Quick Connect: @stevenjbutler_
Steven J. Butler is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker whose work thrives at the crossroads of movement, music, and storytelling. He began his creative journey as a dancer and choreographer, appearing in Transformers 2, The Latin Grammys, Weeds, Good Morning America, and collaborating with artists like Ludacris, Cheat Codes, Aaron Carter, Nick Carter, Paulina Rubio, and Macy Gray.
Steven earned his B.A. in Film from ArtCenter College of Design, graduating with distinction. Since then, he’s directed music videos for Precarious Records, Ultra Records, and Raid Records, and has been recognized by Slamdance, the Addy Awards, Zooppa, the Los Angeles Dance Film Festival, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Blue Ribbon Panel. His writing, directing, and producing reflect a deep curiosity and a knack for blending form and feeling.
He’s a 2018 TEDx speaker and an active force in the creative community, with projects ranging from a holiday art party and toy drive for Pasadena youth to music and visual storytelling for Jōviky. Steven serves on the board of the Los Angeles Dance Film Festival and has lent his curatorial eye to the Capitol Dance & Cinema Festival and the American Dance Festival’s Movies by Movers. His collaborative work also extends to AGBO's Lobby Theatre and the Armory Center for the Arts.
Whether he's behind the camera, in the studio, or building space for community-centered art, Steven brings an open mind and a thoughtful perspective—always in pursuit of stories that move, connect, and challenge.
2025/2026 Board Members:
Josh S. Rose
Alyssa Thompson
Felcia Guzman
Lolly
Steven J. Butler
Film Programmers:
Nicole Spring
Josh S. Rose
Steven J. Butler
Felcia Guzman
Lolly