Dance film - artist research

ARTIST RESEARCH:

after all of the various note taking and brain storming, i moved on to trying to find inspiration from other practitioners. i found some fantastic films. So for this project I have researched a number of dance films. 

The first I found was called ‘Left alone’, uploaded under the username ArinaMegan, this was a DFSA film back from 2014 for the dance project, I love the effects used in the video, and the occasional blur of the moving dancers creates an almost imaginary effect. almost making the view question the reality of that person. i really like the effects used on this, however i dont like how clear it is that its being filmed in the studio, i dont understand how that fits into the context and i feel like it wouldve been better suited if the set was more dressed. 

From here I began to look into various styles of dance to try and grasp an idea of what I’d like. Found other contemporary dance film such as ‘Aura’, by Deftone Digital Productions, this was one uninterrupted shot, creating a ‘raw and hazy ambience’. She wrote in the caption that she wasnt a professionally trained dancer and that she just wanted to express what felt right for her body, which i think is something we should all adopt.

from here i continued to look into contempory dance, however this time as a pair. my favourite dance film from this selection was 'within reach' by Wii Yatani. the film stems from a chance encounter between strangers who then cannot stop thinking about one another and begin to long after something more than a seconds glance. this film is from 2016 in Brooklyn NYC, using a Sony A7sii. this film beautifully explores themes of lust, loneliness and confusion after their chance encounter. i really love the naturalistic colour pallet of this film. 

i also decided to venture outside the box and i found some acrobatic dance films, my favourite of which was 'Duo POWER! Acrobatic Dance' by firefly-media. there isnt a lot of back ground to this film unfortunately but what i can say is the locations and stunts that the two dancers perform are astounding. the camera work is fantastic and its a beautiful match between acrobatics and contemporary dance. 

this video followed on to show me a video from a childrens dance contest. the reason i clicked on this link was because the title of the piece is called 'to this day', which is the name of a poem by one of my favourite slam poets (shane Koyszan), this piece is done by 'the company' and uses the poem as a story line for the dancers to create. the story follows overcoming bullying at a young age and how it can effect adults now. i enjoyed the premis behind the performance however i personally feel that a poem like this was a bit too mature for children to use. 

from here i found a very interesting video called 'Animistic - moving souls' by Vika Kozakova. this dance film explores animals in groups, how they work together despite being cages in in zoo's, it also shows us how part of the heard can become lost and lead its own way straying from the heard. the tribal paint used on the dancers creates a canibal/caveman era effect for the dance. the formation of the dancers reflects pack formations used in the wild, this is how they move as they hunt. the music - Sia 'The greatest' suggests that this could be about survival of the fittest? this point would be echo'ed by the dancers repeated rise and fall movement during the dance, showing how the weakest stray and fall and the strongest survive. 

I also looked at ‘White Butterfly’ by Blu Fox Films, this was filmed as a project in the university of Bournemouth in 2015, and aims to provide the audience an ‘Aesthetic experience’. The dancer, Laura, is filmed dancing on a white chalk covered surface at the start, towards the end it shows her waking up, and the dance having been a dream about drug addiction. the look of this film is stunning. the natural environment they put her in to dance is breathtaking. the use of chalk creates a beautiful effect when the powder flys off her body into the air around her, creating an almost magical essence to the film. setting it beautifully for the fall at the end, it makes you feel a level of empathy for the character thats created through this dance film. 

From here I found my most influential film, ‘Bipolar Skin’ by Jorge Garcia. Winner of the audience prize cross connection choreographic international competition 2013 (Copenhagen). The film beautifully demonstrates every humans dual personality, one of which you have when around others and the other when you are alone, ‘the personality we have and which makes us change from a state of mind to another very quick.’ this film has inspired me so much. the film itself is breathtaking, the three points of spotlight that outline the two different sides of humans and then the one large spot light where they collide, support and push one another. the dance style and choreography of this film is captivating, as it all links so perfectly to the context. as well as this the simplicity of set and colour pallet enables the audience to be really drawn into the story the dancers create for us.