The first choreographer i looked at was Russel Maliphant who composed the dance 'Two (Rise And Fall)' in 2001. The dancer in this piece is Slyvie Guillem who is held within a small rectangular box, surrounded by a larger rectangle of light, and for 12 minutes the intense relationship of her movements and Andy Contons music is all-consuming. I found that it was a very cleaver stimulus used in this piece of restricting the use of space, making it more difficult to capture movements and travel.
Maliphant’s work is characterised by a unique approach to flow and energy and a concern with the relationship between movement, light and music. Drawing on his experience and practice of the disciplines of Capoeira, Tai Chi, Yoga and contact improvisation, this is why he maybe have to chose restricted spacing in this dance as a form of representing discipline.
This dance holds an element of mystery that is created by the lighting. Only parts of the body are lit up and shown and specific times. The face is rarely seen and when it is there is little to no facial expressions so the emotions are portrayed through the dance instead of the face which is usually what we heavily rely on to understand what emotions are being captured. Also light glares at the camera in places making it harder to see the dancer but also it distorts her image slightly making her a silhouette representing more mystery.
Half way through the piece the mood changes in the atmosphere as the music begins to intensify. The tempo increases along with the movements of the dancer, this adds to the piece creating a climax. This climax draws in audiences attention as the change in style leaves us wanting to watch and know more. This climax is then expanded upon near the end as her leg movements become more frantic and frequent, making her whole body come alive with movement.
During this piece many camera angle shots are used, the camera shots usually change in time with beeps in the music. Throughout the piece the main shot is a long shot where it allows the viewer to see the whole of her body, this allows us to see what lighting is being used and what parts of her body are lit up which is key in this dance. Medium shots take place so we can focus on her upper body, this is her main source of movement in the dance. Extreme close ups were used to focus in on specific body parts these included her hands, arms and back. Extreme close up are commonly used when filming to show the detail that you want people to notice. It connotates different emotions to other camera shots it becomes mysterious, dramatic, intimate, detailed, perspective-changing, and disorienting. The penultimate camera shot used in this piece is the high angle shot. This shot is commonly used when trying to belittle a character and make them feel small as thats how is appears to the eye, in this piece i felt that the high angle shot created emotions being trapped as the light of the rectangle box helped create this, but it also made the dancer seem like she is below people she is of no importance and this is linked to her numbness of emotions shown throughout the piece. Finally, the camera shot used is an over the shoulder shot, this highlights her back movements and shows the detail of her back. This can show emotions of betrayal and loneliness as it cuts off the audience.
I found some review extracts on how others thought on the piece. Overall, i thought it was
breathtaking the precise movements she used to highlight her body and create emotions that i didn't think possible through dance. Surprisingly i liked the simplicity of the music with the beeping it created a tense feeling within yourself when watching it as an audience member.
Review extracts
“Clarity of vision and incisive brilliance… charged and enigmatic work” The Independent
“Superbly executed optical illusions which allow us to feel that the dancers have transcended gravity and are momentarily occupying a world with no constraints” Dance Theatre Journal
“A choreographer of persistent accomplishment and a performer of enduring fascination….mesmerising” The Times
“Magical architecture and poetry for the stage” The Guardian
“Light, shadow and distance were used enchantingly to create new spaces and make the ‘stage’ all but disappear. Can you imagine a live fairytale hologram floating in a black void? Very special.” Live Art Magazine
Below is a link of the dance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdjAbhZi-QU
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