For the students at Destiny Arts Center, dance isn’t just an after-school activity, it’s a lifesaving experience. At the Oakland, California–based program, children and teens ages 3–18 learn to express themselves through dance, theater and martial arts in a safe space. And in the process they build community and self-respect.

Check out F R E E, the inspirational documentary that follows five Oakland teens through a year in the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company. You’ll see how Nee Nee, Tilly, Jamany, Omar and Alaysia confront the realities of violence, poverty, sexual abuse and illness in their own lives, as they work together to choreograph a dance.

Watch the trailer for the film.