Introduction into looking at Dance Videos

Here are some dance videos I was shown which particularly stood out to me. I have taken the way we were taught to analyse in our dance workshop and applied it to these videos to help me understand them further and feel inspired:

Maya Deren - 'A Study in Choreography for the Camera' (1945)

This is a Dance Video which seems to be exploring the relationship of the body to the camera within different spaces. The movement was made to not only explore the bodies abilities but also it was made to move within the spaces again in a very exploitive way stretching out and reflecting aspects such as the size of the space. Another key element is the way the body worked with the camera for example with its use of continuity cuts to seamlessly change location whilst the dance movement carried on. This idea of continuity cuts really interest me as an interesting way to day different locations into a sequence. The camera angles were also very close up in places which was very exciting highlighting to us just one small element of the body which was very visually pleasing alone as well as the dance as a whole. I feel like the body is being used very effectively in this piece and I really like this serious study of movement within these surreal changing spaces which is making me feel very inspired to look into how important space could be in my own dance video.

Oliver Herring - 'Nathan' 2007

This is again a dance video however it takes a much more comedic and less serious approach to what I watched before. I feel like the movement in this piece is there to try and emphasise how interpretive dance can be within a space and in some ways I feel liked this is a satirical approach to dance showing us how pretentious it can be. The body is still very interesting to watch even if this is a more light hearted approach with an unprofessional dancer because again he is using the space very exploitively. However instead of being explorative in a very serious way like Derens work instead this is a very humanistic and childish way to explore. This makes me as a real untrained dancer connect with what he is doing with in the space and the fact that there isn't even music therefore we can hear his laughter almost makes me jealous of the fun he is having. There is a lot of mixed messages coming from this piece depending on what angle you look at it. I feel like it is a very light hearted but satirical way to judge dance in itself and I do like it however I am not inspired by it like I was by the previous video. It just isn't the kind of style that grabs me even though it does look fun.

Michael Clark - 'Wrong' (1989)



This is a political dance film which at first watch was very confusing to me however when I went back and watched again and then thought back to the time it was made realised then the kind of issues it was trying to cover in this very visually strong abstract way. This is very much a product of the time and society it was made within. It looks into issues surrounding gays and aids and also has a running commentary of all other social issues that were going on at the time for example 'Margret Thatcher, The downfall of the NHS...' which really makes it have a strong impact. The dance movement is used within it to express the frustrations and feelings surrounding this topical issues at the time. They help to make it visually impacting but also politically as well. The dancers being in there in itself links well to the themes and issues because of the stereotyping that would have surrounded male dances back then as being gay. It takes this stereotype and explores the feelings surrounding them at the time and uses other social issues to basically draw peoples attention to the idea that there is too much socially going wrong for us to be segregating and stereotyping etc and that AIDS is also a very real and serious issue. I feel like this is effective however less so now when we watch it as it is so heavily linked to the time it was made but if you take time to think back then you can see the relevance. I like the impact this piece made however I am not too visually inspired as it is outdated now I feel.

Erika Janunger - 'Weightless' (2012)



This is a short dance film which was directed, choreographed and the song composed by Janunger. This is probably my favourite Dance Video I have looked at so far as it is so creative but also really emotionally strong too. The bodies are used within what appears to be a weightless space which defies gravity. At first it is hard to tell how the dancers are managing to move in such interesting ways yet after observing it for a while you realise that this is a cinematic trick where by the room as been built the wrong way up and then filmed this way so here the floor they are dancing on is actually the wall. However this opens up their bodies to some exciting moments which wouldn't be achieved any other way. It is such an effective use of space to enhance the body and the dance and also to play with the audiences perceptions. I just love how poetic this has been filmed and edited as well to fit with the song beautifully and add a very interesting emotional response. I feel like the body has defiantly been used effectively here to make us connect with it and I am very inspired to think of news and creative ways I could make my dance video have exciting elements like this.

The Chemical Brothers - 'Wide Open' (2016)



This is a music video which was directed by Dominic Hawley & Nic Goffey for the Chemical Brothers song 'Wide Open'. I feel like this dance movement is very effective yet simplistic as it enhances the meaning of the song yet doesnt over power it. It gives an emotional element to connect with through the dancers. I really like the use of VFX to add the elements of her transforming into the 'wide open' Skelton person because even though it seemed very literal with the song it was still visually exciting to watch. I was so interested by this I looked into how this effect had been created and it is a very long and complicated specialist process which is a shame as I would have loved to be able to create something along these lines. However I am still feeling inspired by this dance and the way it was filmed by circling and following the dancers through out the space which works to keep her the only focus. She interacts with the camera really well which also helps with this. I feel like this makes the use of her body and movement all the more effective and this is probably one of my favourite dance based music videos of the past few years.

Looking back at this variety of dance videos which I liked has really helped to inspire me to find interesting and creative approaches rather than just keeping it simple and filming a basic dance. I want to find a visually exciting way/process to do this that will enhance the film.