DESCRIPTION
The challenge in making video dance is always to invent a new language. We wanted to take human movement as its subject and through it, convey the very essence of human existence. Here, highly textural images and surreal compositions, unidentifiable, yet obviously derived from images of human action, are edited using a complex set design, game of gravity and sense of hyper and/or virtual reality.
Through the use of close ups and different angles, the camera can take the viewer to places they could not usually reach. The lens can enter the dancer's kinesphere – the personal space that moves with them as they dance – framing the detail of the movement and allowing an intimacy that would be unattainable in a live performance context. Often the movement of the body parts outside the frame creates interesting and active viewing, dynamics and tension within the shot and forcing the viewers' imagination to come into play.
The choreographed camera, moving through space in relationship to the dancers, alters our perception of the dance, rendering it three-dimensional and creating a fluid and lively viewing experience. The narratives that emerge tend to be subtle and intriguing, suggested rather than explained, impressionistic rather than literal.
We recorded a series of improvisations with 'rules' suggested by knowledge of the possible spatial and motional relationships between camera and dancers. Through rehearsal and repetition, a vocabulary of framing and movement was built up, forming a palette of video dance material that was then 'choreographed' in the edit suite. We wanted to explore ways of conveying energy and speed on screen. 40% of the material was improvised, with the remainder being set in a highly structured choreographic piece.