Critical Evaluation
Prior to university I hadn’t worked in the medium of screen dance, but since being introduced to it, it has opened creative possibilities. Screen dance provides me with the opportunity to take dance out of its usual setting and put it anywhere, for me this is an important aspect of screen dance that I enjoy investigating. For this reason, when starting this project, I decided to make a site-specific piece. Screen dance allows me to take control over what the audience is exposed too, by using the editing process to intricately intertwine the camera and the movement creating something that can only be viewed on screen and not live (Azrak F & Bahhi R. 2014). It’s a hybrid art form that allows me to explore my curiosity.
During my process I found a range of sources that have contributed to my final piece, knowing I wanted to do a site-specific piece meant that I still needed to find what I wanted to convey. Research led me to discovering site specific art as seen in entry 19 and more specifically the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.. I began to search for screen pieces that contained a war theme and found the BalletBoyz piece Young Men (2016) as seen in entry 20. However, I was conscious that my intention of the piece was not to create an accurate retelling of a dramatic event, which upon viewing Young Men (2016) I discovered was the case. I decided to focus my piece on the after effects of war, leading to an investigation of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I used the symptoms and themes to create the essence of my piece as seen in entry 25, using the medium of dance to create a metaphor, rather than a realistic retelling. Once I had established these themes and decided upon an idea, I applied strategies to portray my intentions for the piece.
A strategy I implemented to convey the intention of my piece was the use of structure. Prior to being introduced to screen dance all the work I created was performed on a live basis, I have discovered this year that you are not able to approach the task in the same way, due to the different demands of screen work. For example, when choreographing a piece, I tend to work with a linear structure resulting in the accumulation of sections to create a finished piece, whereas in screen dance I decided this would not be an efficient way to work. Instead I worked with the dancers to create and record stand-alone phrases, that could be manipulated and filmed in various locations, supplying me with a selection of clips from each location that I can explore in the editing process. Although there are some similarities in the way in which I used to work and how I now produce my screen pieces, these can be seen in relation to the way in which I generate movement. I made the conscious decision to not have heavily movement based choreography in my screen piece, instead I wanted gestural movements as influenced by Anna Tesera De Keersmaeker’s Rosas Danst Rosas (1983) an example of which can be found in entry 11. The piece contains repetitive gestures throughout, reoccurring as the shots jump between locations. The repetitive gestures help to portray the meaning of the piece and therefore this was something I wanted to emulate. I used a creative task from my choreographic experience to create a score, enabling my dancers to generate movement, similar to what Jonathon Burrows wrote in A Choreographer’s Handbook, about a score being 'a tool for information, image and inspiration,’ (Burrows, 2010 p.141), I used a list of words to inspire my dancers to choreograph individual phrases, examples of which can be seen in entry 28. When in the choreographic stage of my piece I learnt it was important not to focus too much on the choreography, but the opportunities the movement provided for the camera and the best way to capture these phrases to portray my intentions for the piece. Unlike live work I learnt, I didn’t need a full five minutes of choreography, the individual phrases provided me with enough footage to create five minutes due to having the ability to manipulate clips, for example being able to alter the speed and repeat a clip.
An important aspect to take into consideration when working in the medium of screen, is the impact the editing process has on the final product. For me this meant when planning my piece, shot size, angle and proportions in the shot that all must be considered when filming, examples of this planning can be seen in entry 27 and entry 30. I learnt without planning it would be impossible to change location seamlessly, whilst my dancer remains in the exact spot on the screen. This technique was influenced by a video I watched from 60secondsdance, an online international dance film competition seen in entry 7. Using the dancer as an anchor for the manipulation of location enabled me to emphasis the flashbacks and reliving of the events my soloist is dealing with, further fulfilling my intention.
Another editing technique I have used can be seen to draw influence from the first screen piece I made in my second year called Where (2016). An opportunity the screen medium provides is the ability to move your dancer’s location on the screen without jumping and cutting to another shot with the dancer in a different part of the screen. In my current screen piece, I wanted to develop this idea of having a jump cut of static bodies to have the four dancers performing their phrases in different locations on the screen. I was able to use the movement to jump cut and continue the phrase of a selected dancer in a different location, as well as duplicate my dancers, adding texture to the piece. This required planning of where to film the shots to stop overlapping when it came to place the shots side by side in the editing process. Having the ability to move the dancers quickly through space, allows the pace of the piece to be built as it progresses. Efficient jump cuts can be seen throughout my piece to both duplicate and shift dancers in the space.
Building the pace of the piece and reaching a climax was a desire of mine. When researching I discovered the impact accompaniment could have on a screen piece as seen in entry 8 and entry 9. Previously when creating screen work, I used a soundscape of my own creation to accompany my film, so working with a pre-recorded piece of music opened new possibilities within my screen work. I chose a piece of music that gradually built to a climax and would work closely with the footage I had captured. While editing I discovered the most efficient way of working, was using markers when listening, ensuring a close relationship between the movement and music. For me this added impact and intensity to the piece, that would not be achieved without the accompaniment. This has taught me how much I enjoy working to a piece of music as well as providing me with a platform to explore the possibilities in the relationship between music and movement.
Another editing technique I implemented as a strategy throughout, can be seen in the effects used in the editing process. For example, to show a contrast between the movement in the two locations. I used inspiration from my research of PTSD to explore the symptoms most commonly found. This included the re-experiencing of events such as flashbacks, increased arousal and feeling physically numb. These are all the aspects I wanted to capture. This led to the use of the tracing tool, giving the dancer an echo to all her movements, emphasising feeling physically numb by showing her belief of being detached from her body. This is just one of the strategies I used in the piece to explore the symptoms of PTSD. I also used layering of shots to transition between the studio and flashbacks of being in the field. An example of this can also be seen towards the end of the piece where I use layering to clarify the relationship between the two locations, inspired by the video seen in entry 6. My solo dancer performs isolated movements that she remembers and re-lives from the other dancers. I used layering to show the original clip behind my solo dancer, linking the soloist with each dancer as they perform the movement she is now reliving, to further convey my intention.
During the editing process a problem arose that I did not anticipate seen in entry 34, this was in relation to working solo. Prior to this, any screen work I had created had been done in a group of four, this meant there was always someone to ask for a second opinion. When working on this project solo it became apparent that at times, I was unsure of how the piece should progress and if what I had previously created had the intended impact on my audience. To overcome this, I began to ask my peers for feedback as well as my lecturers, for me this highlighted the importance of asking for help when working as a solo artist, and this is an important skill that can be translated into the rest of my dance practice in the future.
Without learning and developing new skills throughout the process I would have not been able to meet my intentions. The strategies I used to convey these intentions are skills that I will carry forward, for example beginning able to layer up shots and transport between two different locations. Screen work has provided me with a new creative outlet, that fascinates and inspires me to create new work and further develop my skills.
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Bibliography
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KAPPENBERG, C. (2009) Does screendance need to look like dance?, International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 5:2-3, 89-105.
PTSD Art Gallery (2015) [Online image] Avaliable from: http://ptsdchat.org/art-gallery/. [accessed 02/01/2018].
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Videography
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ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET. (2015) Lest We Forget: Akram Khan on Dust [online]. [accessed 27/11/2017].
HILTON JUNIOR. (2015) Videodança - Rosas danst Rosas/ Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker [online]. [accessed 13/11/17]. Available from:
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JADE LAYTON. (2017) A LOAN FINAL [online]. [accessed 10/11/17]. Available from:
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LIBBY FARRELLY, ABIGAL GRICE & EMMA RIDLEY (2017) 60 second: Emma, Libby, Abbie [online] [accessed 10/10/2017]. Available from:
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MN DANCE COMPANY. (2016) LAND OF ALL – contemporary dance – MN DANCE COMPANY [online]. [accessed 13/11/17]. Available from:
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ROGERIO SILVA. (2015) Abaddon [online]. [accessed 13/11/2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLKii-HGnoU&list=PL9NuduwsQefA1yV7Ie_CVZ0ZHz2kpre-5
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Rosas Danst Rosas. (1983) Video. Choreographed by Anna Teresa DE KEERSMAEKER. Brussels, Kaaitheater.
Young Men. (2016) Video. Directed by Michael NUNN/Choreographed by Ivan PEREZ. England, BalletBoyz Productions.
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