Why create performances made for film,

rather than film ones made for stage.

A look into the lack of dance film in the creative industry

When performing a show to an audience, there is a set order to how your show will
be viewed. Each audience member will have a slightly different “angle” depending on
where they are sat. Some will get to see the actors from a higher and more distant
angle, while others will be up close and personal in the front and be looking up at the
performers. The higher sat audience might see a more vulnerable side of your show,
as the performers appear smaller, further away. They might not feel as immersed in
the show or maybe they’d get to see every inch of the set, every actor and every light
change perfectly. The front seat audience members might not have a full stage view
at all, but feel very close up with a particular character and thus get a more intimate
view of the show. They might only see a fraction of the themes, but their fraction
would feel more intense. Throughout the performance, however, each audience
member’s angle would remain the same. It is solely on the pacing of the show, the
performer’s energy, the script, the lighting and music changes to keep the audience
engaged. There is more work for the performer.

When using film, however, there is more to play with. Angles can change, each
scene can be framed to meet it’s intent perfectly and everyone in the audience gets
to see the same story. The pacing now is aided by the editing, the lighting by the
color correction and filters. The actors are aided by the cameraman, who can zoom
in on their facial expressions and capture their whispers as they focus more on the
characterisation of the moment. They don’t have to worry about audience reactions,
projection, costume changes, the next dance number or the new set being brought
on during the blackout. They can focus on the here and now, giving their all to the
current scene being filmed and thus having a more authentic performance. There are
more options with the camera, more heights or distances to frame the play in,
enthsasing character’s intentions or feelings.

Now let’s look at this new dynamic in a more specific field: dance. Film and dance is
a rare but beautiful pairing, an option for the cameraman to be a part of the
performance too. The cameraman may twist and turn in order to keep the dancers in
frame, using following shots to aid the flow of the performer’s movements. The
audience then gets to dance along too, in a way, as they follow along in the
movements. Audio is often not a main factor in dance film, and so the director gets to
focus on the visual aspect of the film, following along with the simple music track
without having to worry about syncing up dialogue to mouths. The passion of the
dancers gets to be seen clearer, without having any live audience’s cell phones
going off or technical issues, they are free to be fully vulnerable and immersed in
their performance. When dancing to the camera, you know that there is more control
over what the audience will see, and so you don’t need to worry about legs not being
straight enough, or forgetting a step as you can simply reshoot it. With this point,
however, I don’t want to insinuate that dance film is lazier than a live performance.
The dancer simply gets more chances to produce the quality of work they want, as
well as more focus and freedom to do so. The camera dancer can perform feats that
the live dancer cannot. They can teleport from one scene to the next seamlessly, so
no immersion has to be broken. They can change angles as often and as many
times as they please, as well as show two different stories overlapped at once.

Another dynamic to add to this is the difference between improvised dance and
choreographed dance. When filming a choreographed dance you can plan more,
perfectly lining up angles and shots to suit the specific moves at specific times.
Timing is stronger and the outcome of shoots can be more anticipated and run
smoother. A clean, strong and concise piece can be made from this outcome.
However, with the filmed improvised piece many beautiful “mistakes” can occur. The
joys of watching back the footage and finding an unplanned perfectly shot move is
one of the things that drew me to improv dance, as well as filmmaking. The
cameraman has to work harder in order to anticipate the natural progression of the
dance piece. The cameraman can turn their job into an art of its own, using the
camera to compliment the dancer’s flow. They follow along and match themselves to
the performer’s energy, creating a beautiful synced moment of movement. Dancer
and crew work together in order to create the art, and both are part of the piece
rather than the tool simply used to showcase the piece. The drawback of improvised
dance however is the amount of time it takes to get shots you’re happy with, and so
the crew and performers would have to dedicate a lot more time and energy to the
shoot. For me personally as a creator, the unexpected, spontaneous and go-with-
the-flow kind of project is a rare opportunity that I get a lot more out of than spending
ages on storyboarding and planning.

Of course there is a soft structure to these shoots, a broad idea of what you want
from it but nothing set in stone. Structured improv gives the cameraman and
performer a good foundation on which to build their natural movements, making it
easier to work with. A stimulus or theme for the improv is useful too in order to
inspire the kind of movements the dancer can explore, leading them to thinking of
more new moves. For example, a dance inspired by an animal suggests a very
specific posture and energy for the dancer to adopt and work with, almost like a color
to paint shapes with. It aid’s the dancer’s creativity and gives the dance piece a more
coherent theme. This in turn aids the cameraman. The truly wonderful part of
improvised dance film is the playfulness of it. The limitless exploration of a simple
set, costume, props or lighting that can be turned into so much more using the
dancer’s movement and the audience’s imagination.
Besides all these wonderful points I’ve brought up about improvised film dance,
another reason why I choose to explore it was the huge gap of the genre in
mainstream media. Something I’d like to investigate further is the lack of dance film
in the industry, and more specifically lack of improvised dance. There doesn’t seem
to be a lot of playfulness in film at the moment, and although planning and structure
can be vital to a film’s success, I’d like to invite other creators to try winging it. Just
try a simple idea and let your dancer’s build from it themselves. Have a shoot be fun
and whimsical and see what you can create from it. There’s a huge gap of that in
mainstream media, the chance to really run wild with creativity and not shy away
from not relying on meaning. This type of project has really taught me about finding
ideas and how to fully explore them, as well as being able to film flexibility and create
anything from whatever you happen to get. It’s not something that can be done
everyday, as not every product of this genre would be successful, there needs to be
some stability in films, but I’d like to see more of it. Even just using dance in film isn’t
a popular genre. My hope for my film is to promote that idea, that spontaneous
creativity. I like showing people something they haven’t seen before, or not a lot of. I
like pushing boundaries of creative norms and trending themes.

The affect the pandemic has had on the Performing Arts industry is another reason
to try the dance film route. The option to perform live has been either taken away
completely or limited so much that the performance itself lacks the original impact
the creator wanted. Sure, you can film live performances for viewers at home to
watch, but with the intent for it to be live the screen blocks the connection between
the audience and performer. However, by building the performance on the intent to
be seen through the lens you can tailor moments to the camera and create that
impact, that connection through the screen. More and more dancers are adapting to
the originally filmed path, including Jamaal Burkmar’s dance company “Extended
Play” who create dance videos intended specifically for instagram, using the format
and time limit to their advantage. “Move”, a netflix documentary manages to capture
dance performances originally indeed for live stage but tweaked in order to play to
the camera. Ohad Naharin’s episode in the doc explored the Gaga method and his
creative process of his show “The Hole” in which the camera operators found unique
and breathtaking ways to frame the dancers. The Theatre In The Round stage was
an extremely useful tool in filming the performance as it allowed freedom for all kinds
of camera angles. These are the things that can be considered when filming a dance
piece and another reason why filmed dance is such an underestimated art form.

In conclusion, with the current pandemic and golden age of the film industry the
option to go for dance film is an exciting opportunity that can bring something new to
the table and even give those who wouldn’t normally be interested in dance shows
access to dance. Dance has existed for centuries, always changing with the times
and being explored in so many wonderful ways. Dance film is the next step in the
evolution of dance and I’m looking forward to being able to continue bettering my
films by looking at creating them in this way; playful, limitless and unique.
References:

Demaiziere, T. and Teurlai, A., 2020. Move Featuring Ohad Naharin. [online] Netflix.com. Available at:
<https://www.netflix.com/watch/81075440?trackId=14170289&tctx=2%2C5%2C0bdb9c51-445d-4295-
beef-6e91042d07cb-195746315%2Cbca8e6b1-90a5-4616-81c5-
4a8ccbecb76c_54851384X3XX1620572637102%2Cbca8e6b1-90a5-4616-81c5-
4a8ccbecb76c_ROOT%2C> [Accessed 22 February 2021].

Nikolai, J., 2021. The Camera-Dancer: A Dyadic Approach to Improvisation. [online]

Screendancejournal.org. Available at: <https://screendancejournal.org/article/view/4910/4267>
[Accessed 31 March 2021].

Jamaal Burkmar [@extendedplaydance]. (n.d) Posts [Instagram profile]. Instagram. [Retrieved May 9,
2021, from https://www.instagram.com/extendedplaydance/]