June
14
Sunday
SAFAR: A Journey of Recollections — A Powerful Dance of Memory, Migration & Resistance
Sun, June 14, 2026 (3:30 pm - 5:30 pm)
Description
Step into a living story where dance, documentary, and diaspora converge.
SAFAR: A Journey of Recollections—a groundbreaking hybrid short documentary and immersive live event—invites audiences to travel through time, memory, and movement to honor a forgotten chapter of South Asian American history.
Organized by Priyanka Suryaneni for the United States of Asian America Festival and presented by the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, this one-of-a-kind experience premieres in San Francisco on June 14, 2026.
🎬 The Story at the Heart of SAFAR
At the core of this event is a deeply personal quest: Oakland-based choreographer Joti Singh seeks to honor her great-grandfather, Bhagwan Singh Gyanee—a revolutionary, a scholar, and an early South Asian immigrant who fled British colonial rule in India.
Who Was Bhagwan Singh Gyanee?
🔹 Member of the Ghadar Party, a radical anti-colonial movement founded by Indian immigrants in the early 1900s
🔹 Targeted by British surveillance for his activism and writings
🔹 Escaped India and likely entered the United States via Angel Island—the “Ellis Island of the West”—under a false name
🔹 Part of a generation of South Asians whose stories were erased, silenced, or forgotten
🔹 Targeted by British surveillance for his activism and writings
🔹 Escaped India and likely entered the United States via Angel Island—the “Ellis Island of the West”—under a false name
🔹 Part of a generation of South Asians whose stories were erased, silenced, or forgotten
“What does it mean to carry a legacy you never knew?”
— Joti Singh
💃 Where Dance Meets Documentary
SAFAR is more than a film—it’s a multisensory journey that blends:
✅ Site-Specific Performance: Joti embodies her great-grandfather on screen, performing at the very Angel Island Immigration Station where he may have been detained over a century ago.
✅ Hybrid Documentary Format: The film interweaves archival research, poetic narration, and contemporary dance to bridge past and present.
✅ Live Dance Component: The event opens with a live performance by Joti and her ensemble, bringing the story to life in real time.
✅ Grounding & Reflection: A trained practitioner leads a brief mindfulness session to help attendees arrive fully—body, heart, and mind—before the journey begins.
🗓️ Event Details: Join the Journey
|
Detail
|
Information
|
|---|---|
|
📅 Date
|
Saturday, June 14, 2026
|
|
⏰ Time
|
Doors: 3:00 PM
|
|
📍 Venue
|
Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
221 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 |
|
🎟️ Tickets
|
General Admission: $25
|
|
🌐 Platform
|
Presented via Zeffy ticketing
|
|
🎭 Format
|
Hybrid: Live performance + film screening + panel dialogue
|
Limited seats available—reserve your spot early!
🗣️ Beyond the Screen: Dialogue & Community
SAFAR doesn’t end when the credits roll. The post-screening program is designed to deepen connection and spark conversation:
🔹 Panel Discussion: Scholars, artists, and community elders explore themes of immigration, resistance, and intergenerational memory.
🔹 Audience Dialogue: An open, facilitated space for attendees to share reflections, ask questions, and connect personal stories to the larger narrative.
🔹 Structured Reflection: A guided closing invites participants to respond creatively—through writing, art, or spoken word—to honor their own family histories.
“This isn’t just about watching a film. It’s about remembering together.”
— Event Organizer
🌍 Why SAFAR Matters Now
✊ Reclaiming Erased Histories
South Asian contributions to early American immigration and anti-colonial movements have long been overlooked. SAFAR centers these stories with dignity, artistry, and rigor.
🧭 Navigating Identity in Diaspora
For second- and third-generation South Asians, questions of belonging, heritage, and resistance remain urgent. This event offers a mirror—and a map.
🎨 Art as Activism
By using dance and documentary as tools of historical recovery, Joti Singh demonstrates how creative practice can be a form of justice—making the invisible visible, the silent heard.
🤝 Building Intergenerational Bridges
SAFAR invites elders and youth, artists and activists, immigrants and descendants to sit together in shared reflection—a rare and powerful act of community care.
🎟️ Who Should Attend?
✅ South Asian Americans exploring family history
✅ Dance, theater, and documentary enthusiasts
✅ Educators teaching immigration, diaspora, or social justice
✅ Community organizers and cultural workers
✅ Anyone curious about the intersections of art, memory, and resistance
✅ Dance, theater, and documentary enthusiasts
✅ Educators teaching immigration, diaspora, or social justice
✅ Community organizers and cultural workers
✅ Anyone curious about the intersections of art, memory, and resistance
No prior knowledge of the Ghadar Party or Angel Island required—just an open heart and curious mind.
💡 What to Bring & Expect
🎒 Bring:
- An open mind and willingness to reflect
- A notebook if you’d like to journal during the reflection segment
- Comfortable clothing for sitting and optional gentle movement
✨ Expect:
- A moving blend of film, live performance, and conversation
- Moments of quiet contemplation and collective sharing
- A deeper connection to your own story of migration and memory
🌟 Final Thought: Memory as Movement
SAFAR reminds us that history isn’t just written in books—it lives in our bodies, our families, our art.
When Joti Singh dances through the halls of Angel Island, she isn’t just performing. She’s remembering. She’s resisting. She’s reclaiming.
And when we witness that journey—when we sit with our own recollections in community—we become part of the story too.
Because every journey of recollection is also a step toward liberation.
🔗 Reserve Your Tickets: Zeffy Event Page
📣 Share This Event: Help amplify stories that matter. Tag #SafarJourney #GhadarLegacy
📣 Share This Event: Help amplify stories that matter. Tag #SafarJourney #GhadarLegacy
Presented by the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center | Part of the United States of Asian America Festival
Event Calendar
Sunday, June 14, 2026
3:30 pm
-
5:30 pm
Refund Policy
Cancel booking before 0 days
Tags
#AncestralConnection
#AncestralLegacy
#AngelIsland
#AntiColonialHistory
#APAArts
#APICulturalCenter
#ArtAndActivism
#ArtAndHistory
#ArtAsActivism
#ArtForChange
#ArtisticActivism
#ArtisticLegacy
#AsianAmericanHistory
#AsianAmericanStories
#AsianPacificIslander
#BayAreaArts
#BayAreaCommunity
#BayAreaCulture
#BhagwanSinghGyanee
#CommunityArts
#CommunityBuilding
#CommunityDialogue
#CreativeResistance
#CulturalHeritage
#CulturalJustice
#CulturalPreservation
#CulturalRoots
#CulturalStorytelling
#DanceAndDocumentary
#DanceAsHistory
#DanceTheater
#DialogueAndReflection
#DiasporaMemory
#DiasporaVoices
#DocumentaryFilm
#FamilyHistory
#FilmAsMemory
#FilmScreening
#GhadarGeet
#GhadarParty
#HealingThroughArt
#HeritageInMotion
#HistoricalRecovery
#HistoricalTruth
#HybridDocumentary
#ImmigrantRights
#ImmigrantStories
#ImmigrationHistory
#ImmigrationJustice
#IntergenerationalHealing
#JotiSingh
#JotiSinghDance
#JourneyOfRecollections
#LegacyInMotion
#LivePerformance
#MemoryAndMovement
#MemoryWork
#MigrationNarratives
#MindfulEngagement
#PanelDiscussion
#PerformanceArt
#ReflectivePractice
#ResistanceArt
#Safar2026
#SafarEvent
#SafarJourney
#SanFranciscoArts
#SanFranciscoEvents
#SiteSpecificPerformance
#SocialJusticeArts
#SouthAsianArtists
#SouthAsianDiaspora
#SouthAsianHistory
#StorytellingMatters
#TicketedEvent
#USofAsianAmericaFestival
Related Events
May you like events
-
Bengaluru Tech Summit 2026: The Ultimate Launchpad for Startups 17th to 19th November 2026
Tue, November 17, 2026, 11:00 am -
THE World Academic Summit 2026 Comes to Africa for the First Time 29 September To 1 October 2026
Tue, September 29, 2026, 10:00 am
