Powder Paint Scene Choreography for She and Dancer

Whilst creating my project proposal I had envisioned my dancer wearing a flowing gown and doing balletic, expressive dancing; however after Sebastiane voiced his concern about it looking cliche I completely understood and saw where he was coming from, so want to look for avant-garde dance sequences to inspire my own. I discussed with my dancer whether I should choreograph a dance sequence or whether I should show her my inspiration and certain aspects to include for her to then improvise. We agreed I wouldn't choreograph a sequence because she felt if she threw herself into the dance it would evoke more true emotion than if she felt restricted by my choreography. She is a professionally trained dancer so I am confident she will be able to improvise an effective routine. Harrison (film guy) said he wanted the dance choreographed; however for the reasons above I chose not to. Louise, Harrison and I can discuss her movements so Harrison is clear where she will move to, ensuring he captures her movement in frame.


Chandelier by Sia (Dancer)

(SiaVEVO, 2014).

Sia collaborated with choreographer, Ryan Heffington, to create a beautifully odd dance, performed by 11 year old Maddie Ziegler. Some press criticised the video saying Maddie was too young to perform to such a dark song; however Ryan Heffington said the choreography wasn't a narrative to the lyrics, but instead portrayed an oblivious young girl dancing around in her abandoned house. (Jarvis, 2014)

The choreographer focused more on portraying emotion than creating a technically impressive or visually beautiful dance. It looks as though the girl has been left in her house and is playing around doing over dramatic dance movements and exaggerated faces. Contemporary dance can combine a variety of dance genres, including jazz, ballet and lyrical, for an expressive, versatile mix of movements to connect the mind to the body. There is a definite mixture of sharp, soft and dramatic dance movements in Chandelier to visually display her adventuring mind. I am inspired by this music video to use dance as a tool to express She's emotions in a liberating, free way, rather than a more tame choreographed dance. (Jarvis, 2014)

The dancer looks effortless, as if she is improvising, and I want that same relaxed, natural feel to the dance in my film. Maddie Ziegler uses her facial expressions to show emotion so I will emphasise the importance of this to Louise so she can truly feel and reflect She's emotion. The Chandelier dance would not have been as effective and well received if Maddie did not show emotion through her face.


Pina Bausch (Dancer)

In my proposal feedback Sebastiane suggested I looked at Pina Bausch's choreography, who uses unconventional movement to evoke emotion. She uses a lot of repetition in her choreography, sometimes to emphasise a movement and sometimes to make the audience feel uncomfortable.

Screenshot of Dance
(Thearotv, 2013).

The screenshot above shows the dance I found most powerful and intriguing. The female dancer is surrounded by men in suits, pulling at her face and body. She looks drained and vulnerable, letting the men control her movements without resistance. The longer this sequence continues, the more uncomfortable I found it to watch because I was pleading for the female to stand up for herself. The men look suffocating and forceful as they push and prod every part of her body, giving no thought to her emotions. This dance scene reflects how suffocating and overwhelming discrimination can be, causing the victim to just accept how they're treated without fighting back. This dance sequence emphasised that you don't have to use obvious forms of dance, but can instead use avant-garde body movements to create a more powerful message or emotion. I will show this clip to my dancer for her to understand the amount of emotion I want expressed and that she can use unconventional movements to emphasise her emotion, meaning she doesn't have to think of her technique throughout but instead focus on the emotion.


Alchemy by Inside Flesh (Dancer)

(SHOWStudio, 2017).

I was inspired by the experimental, avant-garde movement of Pina Bausch and the contemporary freedom of Chandelier. However Alchemy by Inside Flesh inspired the strength and passion for my dancer's sequence. The choreography includes a variety of sharp, powerful movements, with a mix of long straight lines and angular positions. Each move is very separate, with a confident posture; they don't flow into the next, emphasising the power of each move. This style of dance will reflect She's new strength and confidence to fight discriminations as it is very sharp and controlled. I want my dancer to combine all three dance inspirations to create a balance of liberation and strength, reflecting She's freedom of a life without discrimination, but also the fight within her to make sure it doesn't happen again. 

Om by John Smith (She)

Screenshot from Wtfscm (2008).

Sebastiane also suggested I looked at Om by John Smith because he uses subtle movement and experiments with music to confuse and trick the audience's mind. The viewer is initially led to believe the man is a monk because of his shaved head and yellow material wrapped round him. This view point is emphasised when he starts saying 'ooommm' as it suggests he is meditating. As the electric razor is introduced the viewer then associates the 'om' noise to that and slowly forgets that the man is meditating. There is a subtle stream of smoke entering the frame, but because the man looks like a monk, the viewer immediately relates it to meditation rather than a cigarette. However as soon as the 'om' noise stops and the man removes his yellow fabric it becomes clear that he is not a monk, but instead a cocky, arrogant lad as he poses for the camera and puffs on a cigarette. I was fascinated by how simply the audience was led to believe one thing and then suddenly shocked by the reality by only the use of a strip of styling and sound. 

When the hands appear from the darkness to shave his head; this could have been threatening; however the hands touch him softly on his shoulder first to introduce himself before starting to shave his head. This inspired me to use hands in She's mirroring scene to create choreography to incorporate with the powder paint. The dancer will be dancing expressively; however I was concerned how to show this same liberation with She's more stationary scene. The societal figure had previously been shown with black hands and no identity; however to reflect that She is not only fighting discrimination, but viewing society as more accepting and loving, I want the hands to be free of paint to look more inviting and affable. I want the hands to complement She's movements with the powder paint to represent her feeling of acceptance into society. 

Resources:
SIAVEVO, 2014. Sia - Chandelier (Official Video) [viewed 11th March 2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjPBrBU-TM

THEAROTV, 2013. I grandi protagonisti della danza- Pina Bausch [viewed 11th March 2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPjX2DEO5iQ&t=11s

SHOWSTUDIO, 2017. ALCHEMY [viewed 9th March 2017]. Available from: http://showstudio.com/project/alchemy

WFTSCM, 2008. Om [viewed 11th March 2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Bm2UZN4NDI

JARVIS, E., 2014. Choreographer Ryan Heffington: 'I have more projects coming up with Sia' [viewed 11th March 2017]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/aug/29/ryan-heffington-sia-chandelier-choreographer

BEDDINGHAUS, T., 2017. What is Contemporary Dance? [viewed 11th March 2017]. Available from: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-contemporary-dance-1007423