Breaking Down Walls: My Journey Into Crowdfunding Dance to the Beat on Seed&Spark

For most of my career, I have worked in commercial filmmaking and brand-funded projects where budgets come from corporations, agencies, or production companies. In those environments, the work is straightforward: create the vision, deliver the campaign, wrap the project, and move on. I have always shown up fully as a director and producer, but I stayed quietly behind the scenes and let the work speak for itself. Dance to the Beat is different.

This film is personal. It carries my heart, my culture, and my belief in the transformative power of dance. It is a love letter to the dancers, the communities, and the vibrant pulse of urban African street dance that has shaped global culture in ways the world often forgets. Because the work is different, the path to making it real has also been different.

Stepping Into a New Creative Space

Crowdfunding through Seed and Spark has pushed me into a level of vulnerability I was not familiar with. It has required me to break down personal walls and step into a new way of showing up. I have had to look people in the eye and say:

“This film matters. This story matters. I need your support to bring it to life.”

For someone who has spent years relying on traditional funding models, public fundraising feels like stepping onto a stage with every light pointed at me. It is new and uncomfortable, but it is necessary. Impact-driven work does not grow in the shadows. Art that carries purpose needs community, honesty, and visibility.

Why Crowdfunding a Dance Film Matters

A challenge many African creatives face is the belief that art, especially something like dance, should take a backseat to issues that seem more urgent. There is often an unspoken hierarchy: hunger, poverty, infrastructure, education, and finally, somewhere far down the line, the arts. So when someone says they are raising money for a dance film, people may question its importance.

The truth is this:

Art is not an extra. Art is how we remember. Art is how we heal. Art is how we build legacy. Art is how we tell the world who we are.

African creativity has shaped global music, fashion, entertainment, and culture in ways that are undeniable. Our rhythms, our choreography, and our movement languages travel farther than passports ever could. They tell the story of who we are and preserve our communities for generations.

Creating a film like Dance to the Beat is not only about documenting dance. It is about safeguarding culture. It is about championing Africa’s creative power. It is about showing that our stories deserve investment, respect, and celebration.

Why This Journey Is Personal

This campaign has made me visible in a new way. I have had to speak openly, ask for support, share my process, and show my face. I cannot hide behind a monitor or a production company logo. I must show up as the woman who believes deeply in this story and the impact it can have.

I am learning that vulnerability is a strength. Asking for support is an act of community building. Sharing the journey is part of the art itself.

I would not take this path if the film were not worth it. If the dancers did not deserve it. If the culture did not need it. If the story did not matter.

But it does.

A New Way Forward

Crowdfunding has shown me that raising money is only one part of this process. It is also about storytelling, connection, and inviting people to become part of the journey rather than watching from a distance.

Dance to the Beat deserves to exist. African dancers deserve a global platform built with intention and dignity. Our culture deserves to be documented, funded, and preserved for future generations.

Art is not a luxury. It is a legacy.And this moment in my career asks me to grow beyond what is comfortable so I can create something that will last.

By

Priscilla Nzimiro Nwanah

Producer, Director, Dance to the Beat Film