Director Ben-Alex Dupris Reflects on His Film 'Sweetheart Dancers'

In his own words, Director Ben-Alex Dupris takes us through the creation of his film, "Sweetheart Dancers."

"Sweetheart Dancers" began with an introduction by our Associate Producer, Ceylon Greymountain, to his cousin Adrian Stevens. Adrian and Sean are the “Sweetheart Dancers,” who were breaking ground in our powwow communities by entering into the popular couples competition. The special dance contest is held annually in various parts of the country during Native American powwows. They are the first “Two-Spirit” couple to have entered, and are continuing to pave the way for LGBTQ Indigenous people.

In recent decades, our Native people have grown up heavily influenced by the Catholic church. Natives were forced into U.S. government mandated boarding schools. They were forced to leave our culture behind, and taught to adapt to conservative Christian ways. This stifled kind of patriarchy, and discrimination towards Two-Spirit people has left residual pain and confusion about our historical position on the matter. 

Since the beginning of time, Indigenous people have respected and honored the roles of Two-Spirit people. They sat in our communities as artists, chiefs, medicine people, and intellectuals for centuries before Christianity began to shame tribal societies. This treatment has been passed down from the elder generations over the years. There is a skewed sense of normality in which some of our tribes continue to feel uncomfortable in today’s circles, where LGBTQ families are paving new ground for acceptance and equality.

"Sweetheart Dancers" is a short film that shows a slice of emotions from Adrian and Sean, as they are found to have been disqualified from the contest, because the rules state the contest is for, “One man, and one woman.”

Through their story of tenacity, we see a glimpse of the front lines that Indigenous Two-Spirit youth are fighting. They are pushing outdated social norms back to a traditional time, where all human beings were honored. They challenge us to consider a very interesting question: Can Native American culture decolonize enough to welcome back a vital part of our history that is now being driven by our youth, and not our elders? This is the paradox of "Sweetheart Dancers," and its protagonist future chiefs.

This production was my directorial debut for Concordia Studios, headed by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim. Rahdi Taylor is the head of the Artist-In-Residence program, for which I am an inaugural fellow. The film had a wonderful team, with several roles held by Native American crew. "Sweetheart Dancers" has played in many incredible festivals, a few that include Big Sky Doc Fest, OUTFEST, Newfest, Frameline, AFI Docs, New Orleans, Mountain Film, and Seattle International. It has won Grand Jury for Best Short Film, OUTFEST 2019 and many other accolades from the festival circuit. We are very appreciative for the opportunity for audiences to learn more about our culture, and especially for them to meet Adrian and Sean, the "Sweetheart Dancers." 

- Ben-Alex Dupris
@Bendigenous