Steamboat Springs — Through dance-based films, endless possibilities are unleashed.

Mixing animation, text and a variety of visual images, dance of any form is capable of nearly anything the artistic mind can conceive through short screendance works.

Taking the culture of dance beyond the stage, Steamboat residents will have the opportunity to see a compilation of short films that redefine the artistic capabilities of dance.

At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Library Hall, the Bud Werner Memorial Library, Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp and Steamboat Dance Theatre will host a screening of nine short dance films from the San Francisco Dance Film Festival’s 2013 and 2014 year for the Dance on Film series.

As digital technologies have become more accessible to independent artists in recent years, these films from around the world encompass a range of interpretations from visual artists, animators, composers and live performers and give independent artists a platform from which to share their work with audiences.

“Audiences benefit by seeing a wider range of dance work from international sources, keeping them up to date on the latest that is happening abroad and in their own backyards,” said Greta Schoenberg, artistic director and founder of SFDFF. “Ideally, this serves as education for the full community and helps take the art form forward as a whole.”

The festival entries are also a reflection of evolving film and editing techniques. Schoenberg said the advanced use of effects enhance and deepen the choreographic layers.

Not only that, the portability of these films makes it possible screen them into classroom and venues, exposing audiences that may not otherwise be exposed to dance.

It will be the first time this collection of short films have been screened in Steamboat, and adult programs coordinator for the library, Jennie Lay, said the hope is to bring more screenings, including highlights from this year’s festival — which takes place Oct. 8 through Oct. 11 — into upcoming programming.

“It’s incredible when the world comes to our doorsteps like this,” Lay said. “It’s a new genre of dance that is a marrying of choreography and the artistry of filmmaking to make something really new. It’s contemporary, cutting edge dance.”

The Dance on Film series at the library has been in place for about three years, bringing with it unique programming that encompasses educational and cultural aspects of dance.

“I feel like this is a really special edition filled with a visual feast that Steamboat would never have access to in any other way, unless they traveled to San Francisco for the festival,” said Lay. “These are kinds of films from all over the world none of us would be able to see otherwise.”

To reach Audrey Dwyer, call 970-871-4229, email adwyer@ExploreSteamboat.com or follow her on Twitter @Audrey_Dwyer1