There are few examples of what dance and the camera can be that reach the caliber of Amelia from La La La Human Steps.
The 2002 production, choreographed by Edouard Locke, melds incredible feats of dance into a feature length production that is simultaneously engaging, challenging and entertaining. The excerpt below is from this longer work and is one of the most intricate and breathtaking uses of classical ballet I’ve seen performed.
While the technical proficiency can not be denied in this work, the use of the camera to break the formal presentation of this classic art-form is really groundbreaking and highlights things that would be missed in traditional presentation as well as in traditional documentary footage. This exemplifies the camera as a tool, a co-creator and an audience in and of itself.
Camera as Tool:
Framing the initial shot of the dance, the camera zooms in to focus our attention on the performer. Bringing us closely in line with her stillness, searching for movement and in doing so, bonding our connection to her.
The subtleties of the dance are highlighted through the use of the camera’s tools of rotation and distance, keeping the viewer focused on the elements the choreographer wants you to see, while ignoring the open space until the intricate spell is broken by the pedestrian movement. Further, such play in focus and space directs your attention to elements that perhaps would have been lost if conceiving this work in a traditional performance environment, such as the shadow play in the middle of the work (2:37-2:55). [Read more…]