'Will I Dance Again' Discovers Hope Amidst the Ruins of One of America's Darkest Times

      Spoiler alert: Princella D. Smith's impressive animated short “Will I Dance Again” may resonate with audiences more if they enter without prior knowledge of the story. Featuring Alfre Woodard and Misty Copeland, who also served as executive producer, the film revisits one of the darkest periods in American history through the perspective of a genuine survivor (voiced by Shea Smith). If you're in Little Rock, you can catch the film this Saturday at Filmland and later enjoy an interview with Smith. Alternatively, you can follow her on Instagram for the latest updates. Be warned, many spoilers related to the true events depicted in this extraordinary film are included below.—M.M.

      Princella D. Smith was hosting a radio show at Little Rock's KARN when she invited a guest who had authored a book about the Oklahoma City bombing, an act of domestic terrorism in which Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck filled with explosives outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, resulting in the deaths of 168 individuals, including the author's grandchildren.

      Holding a degree in political science and communication, Smith had developed an interest in terrorism after the September 11, 2001 attacks during her senior year of high school. At the time of the Oklahoma City bombing, she was too young to give it much thought. However, her perspective changed after interviewing the author.

      “She asked me about assisting her in getting it turned into some type of production,” Smith remembers. “Although we parted ways, my interest in the bombing remained, and I chose to pursue other stories from the Oklahoma City Bombing focusing on triumph over tragedy, aiming to adapt it into a live-action feature film.”

      Due to the numerous challenges associated with producing a full-length live-action feature—particularly one involving mass destruction—she opted instead to commence with an animated short. In 2024, she released “Walk in the Light,” which tells the story of Raymond Washburn, a hero who helped others to safety despite being blind. It was Oscar-qualified and nominated for an NAACP Image Award.

      Now, Smith is back with another animated narrative about the Oklahoma City bombing, titled “Will I Dance Again.” It depicts Daina Bradley, who was at the Social Security office in the federal building with her mother, sister, and two children—a three-year-old daughter, Peachlyn, and a three-month-old son, Gabreon—to retrieve a social security card for Gabreon.

      When the bomb detonated, Daina's mother, Cheryl Bradley Hammon, and the two small children were killed, while Daina and her sister, Falesha, suffered severe injuries. As the film unfolds, Daina's narrow escape is highlighted.

      The film will screen Saturday morning at the Filmland film festival in Little Rock, a city closely tied to the story. It's where Smith first became intrigued by the bombing and one of the locations McVeigh contemplated for his attack. It was also the residence of then-President Bill Clinton, whose signing of an assault weapons ban in 1994 outraged McVeigh. He briefly considered bombing the federal building in Little Rock, but ultimately deemed the plaza too exposed for his intentions, as noted in Jeffrey Toobin's 2023 book, Homegrown. Additionally, McVeigh was influenced by the white-supremacist novel The Turner Diaries.

      The film, written and directed by Smith, derives its title from Daina Bradley's background in ballet, which she began studying as a child with her mother. We spoke with her about bringing in Woodard and Copeland, the contrast between animation and the harsh realities depicted, and Daina Bradley's role in American history.

      Princella D. Smith on 'Will I Dance Again'

      “Will I Dance Again” writer-director Princella D. Smith. Photo by Todd Williamson

      MovieMaker: I immediately recognized what was unfolding in the film when I saw Daina and her family pass a sign for the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, especially since I'm currently reading Jeffrey Toobin's Homegrown. However, many viewers—particularly those born after Timothy McVeigh's deadly act in April 1995—might not know the story’s background. How did you approach writing and directing the film to engage both audiences who are familiar with the story and those who aren't?

      Princella D. Smith: You're absolutely correct. The Oklahoma City bombing is seldom covered in American classrooms despite being the largest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, with the FBI consistently stating that domestic terrorism poses the greatest threat to America, not international terrorism.

      I aimed to provide a historical context without making the script feel like a lecture. My background in communications, passion for history, ties to the church, and studies in counterterrorism in the Middle East equipped me for this task. Ultimately, when we witness large, tragic events, we sometimes overlook that real individuals are deeply impacted. These events affect actual people, and long after