“Santo” film takes on domestic abuse with dance

Nearly 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during their lifetimes, and 1 in 3 female homicide victims are murdered by their current or former partner every year.

Florescio Films takes on the gravity of domestic violence in “Santo,” a short film using dance to depict the dangers of abusive relationships.

“I wanted to create Santo because too many people I know have been affected by an abusive relationship, including myself,” said Stephanie Ramones, director and writer of the film. “I felt it was time to take stand against domestic abuse and create a film that uses my two favorite art forms to show the realities of staying in an abusive relationship and to fundraise for the AIM High scholarship fund that was set up to honor an incredible woman whose life was cut short due to domestic violence.”

Starring Philadelphia dance company Art in Motion Latin Dancers, Santo tells the story of a group of women and their struggle in deciding whether to stay or go and the rollercoaster they’re on. Proceeds of the project will go toward AIM High Scholarship Fund, which is set up to honor the memory of Aimee Girard, whose life was ended by acts of domestic violence.

“We at Art in Motion aren’t the biggest organization that helps bring awareness to the issue of domestic violence,” said Watson Saintsulne, one of the film’s dancers, on its fundraising campaign page. “But we do have a voice. And that voice is expressed through dance. We’ve partnered up with Stephanie Ramones and Florescio Films to produce a piece that sheds light on the domestic violence issue in our world today.”

See the trailer below, and keep an eye out for the full film later this week.

[vimeo 133592997 w=500 h=264]

Update 08/10/2015: You can now watch the full film on YouTube.

Image and video via Florescio Films