In preparation of making a Dance Video I attended a workshop with a Choreographer to learn about what Dance Videos can be and how to compose them. I am very interested in learning how to producing a Dance Video and actually make one because I have always wanted to work in Music Videos and short films like this so it is very helpful to me.
History
Firstly we began with looking into the History of Dance. Here is the timeline of videos we looked at in the workshop however I have resisted them and this is what I thought of them and if I found them inspiring:
1894 - 'The Little Lost Child', Edward B. Marks and Joseph W. Stern
The composer of this song (Marks & Stern) came up with he idea of making slides which would accompany their song while it played. It to me doesn't seem like a dance video because there is no movement going on with in it but the more I thought about it I realised this still teaches us a valuable lesson. It shows the importance of having good imagery with a song in order to create something exciting. The same applies with Dance Videos because they is no point having dance out of context with the story you are trying to tell, instead it should enhance the story. I think though this video and song are very sweet and I enjoyed it.
1897 - 'Dance Serpentine', Auguste & Louis Lumiere
I really love this video and the way the technical process works so well to enhance this beautiful dance. I think its very graceful anyway but I like the way they have painted each individual frame of film so that her dress changes colour with her movements. This makes it seem very magical and adds a very interesting element to it. This kind of dancing interest me as does the process of painting film used to make it which has always been something I have wanted to try. I feel like this could be developed into a much more exciting story with the technology available now to manipulate digital film through editing colours etc and it is something I will bear in mind.
1902 - 'Pas De Deux', Peter Elfelt
I found this piece a very simplistic and short one however still interesting to watch. Due to the nature of their film cameras at this time you can see why they would have to take this very static approach where they film the dancers from a front on view like how it has been filmed here. However I like the way this dance has been composed keeping that in mind because they have an interesting use of symmetry between the dancers which you would not have seen if you had filmed this from another angle. Is is basic yet effective because you can see both dancers and how they are mirroring each other at times but not at others. I like it for this reason however I don't find too much inspiration from the dance and film style to bring to my own video.
1903 - 'Alice in Wonderland', Lewis Carroll
I found this video very interesting because it was less of a dance and more of a film telling a story. However due to their being no sound of films in those times they used there body very expressively to tell the story which means there are gestural dance elements in here. It again uses basic camera angles but this again make the body the key way of telling the story and I like the simplicity of this. It gives you more time time to absorb the story through their body language and makes it very sweet and quaint in this way. I enjoyed this video and it has made me think into how pedestrian dance can be used very effectively through gestures to tell a story.
We discussed how when sound was introduced it meant that the need for this kind of story telling dance wasn't there anymore and this is when films moved in a different direction towards where films are now and how dance is much more of a performance art instead.
Commercial Dance VS Experimental Dance:
We then looked historically back at when Experimental Dance began to emerge compared to very commercialised dance and how they differed.
1931 - 'Dance until the Dawn', Busby Berkeley
This dance is a commercial dance used on this show to tell a story. I like here the use of the space and how they are creating patterns with all their bodies. It goes back to the symmetry I liked which I was talking about earlier in a dance video. I think this is a visually effective way of using lots of dancers to tell a story but with a lot more of a dance element to it. I feel like this has inspired me to find ways in which the body can be used other than to just basically dance.
1952 - 'Million Dollar Mermaid', Esther Williams
This is another commercial dance video and you can tell this just by the high budget that must have been used to make it. I actually really like how fun this video was with its cheesiness. I also found the use of water a very interesting aspect to look into. I would like to look into this and see if it is possible to use it in some way for making our dance videos as I think it could be used in dance in a variety of ways that aren't all as cheesy as this!
1924 - 'Ballet Mécanique', Fernand Leger
This is an experimental dance video which you can instantly tell by its use of abstract shapes and forms. I actually found it a lot more engaging and exciting to watch then commercial dance videos of this time because it had such a fast pace to it. I feel this fast pace kept me a lot more intrigued and focused on what was happening. I am thinking I may want to make my dance video fast paced when it comes to editing and use lots of material to try and engage my audience in a similar way.
These two sides of dance very much still exist today amongst many other styles!
Exploring Modern Videos and their use of Dance:
We moved forward in history to explore more modern Videos which incorporate dance in them to see how effective the dance is with in it and why. Four questions we asked ourselves whilst watching each of these were...
1. What is the product?
2. Why is the movement there?
3. How is the body being used?
4. Is the body being used effectively?
Here are the videos we watched and my personal answers to these questions:
'1234' Fiest
1. Music Video
2. The movement is here to emphasise the feelings of the song and make it visually exciting to watch.
3. They dance as a group keeping it fun with a childish nostalgia to it which is very effective in this song.
4. Yes, It really emphasises and embodies the song to me and makes it flow really well.
'Matched' LXD
1. Musical Theatre/Narrative movement piece
2. The movement told us a story of a couple in a very fun and exciting way.
3. The bodies developed character and personality to keep the story fun flowing.
4. Yes, it told a simple story in a really effective way through the dance however I felt I wanted to see more of the dancing element to it because it was broken up a lot by acting moments.
'Thought of you' Ryan Woodward
1. Music Video/Animation
2. The movement adds a lot more emotion to the song and works with it to create a story to watch.
3. Abstract bodies as they aren't real people but still used artistically to flow with the music and story.
4. Yes, very interesting and unique technique to add a lot of emotion to a song through animation.
'Glow' Chunky Move
1. Dance Video (was a live show once)
2. This movement is a very experimental way of expressing themes and feelings with combined techniques of not only dance but light mapping.
3. It is contemporary but experimental with the use of abstract shapes and light mapping based on conceptual meanings.
4. Yes, I really like the combination of the dance and light mapping however I did feel like it was very slow at first to build up.
'Ghost catching' Bill T Jones
1. Experimental Animated Dance Video
2. I feel like the movement was expressing peoples inner emotions and feelings, telling their stories in unique ways.
3. Comedic due to childishness but expressive use of bodies.
4. Yes, Really unique style and effective insight into someones mind.
'Human' Carpark North
1. Music Video
2. They are again telling the story of the song but are expressing the feelings of the song in a very distorted way.
3. Very abstract due to the fragmented and distorted nature of it using children. Use of children amy be to express emotional childhood issues people have.
4. Yes, It held my interest because of its strange story and the dance added a lot more to the song.
'Guns and Horses' - Ellie Goulding
1. Music Video.
2. They are trying to add a story to the song with the movement however I am not sure I understand the story as I don't think it fits well enough.
3. Commercial modern group dancing which really lacks emotion.
4. No, I am not sure why the dancers/characters were used as they didn't fit the song and this made it hard to watch.
This exercise has helped me realise how dance can be used effectively with in a piece and what works and what doesn't work.
Dance
We then got to try some dancing ourselves to see what is effective when trying to compose dances.
Firstly we were set the task in groups of making a dance that expressed anger. Most groups just acted out how an angry person looks and it wasn't very effective. We instead try the sam exercise but this time picked a specific word to do with anger that expressed movement. Our group used 'shaking' as in shaking with anger which actually helped us produce a much more effective piece. We tried this on a few more emotions and it was really helpful to see what kind of language worked a lot better at getting a desired effect rather than just simply saying be angry etc.
We then tried another dance task of looking at certain parts of the body through a camera while someone was dancing only with the body part. These parts were: Head, torso, arms and hands, hips and feet. This really help us learn what worked effectively through a camera as every body part is unique and interesting. It showed that all bodies aren't always necessary for good dance visuals.
Composing Movement
We then spoke about different ways to compose movement. You can either use Improvised dance in a structured way to develop a routine based on feelings and themes you give to the dancer then picking out what you liked that they did and building this up. This way appeals to me a lot as I like to watch other people interpretations first then build a piece rather than my interpretation only.
We then spoke about Choreographing movement however I don't think I will pick this option because like I said I don't want just my interpretation on the themes and I am not that great of a dancer!
We finished off by looking at some creativity rules from the writer Eric Maisel. Here is my interpretation of them:
1. Dont replicate
2. Don't just rest on skill
3. Risk taking is important
4. Always complete the work
5. Personal interests can be involved
6. Articulate your ideas
7. Renew how you create to avoid getting stuck in a loop
8. Revisit your earliest passions
9. Don't be too quick to judge yourself or your work
10. Integrate creative threads together
This has been a very helpful workshop in opening up my mind to the possibilities when creating a Dance Video and also in informing me of the best ways I can do this.
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