Saturday, October 12, 2013

Blogpost 3 : Dance on Camera

Do your parents get crazy whenever they tell you back in the days how movies like “Footloose” and “Saturday Night Fever” are the hit in the late 80s? Have you see dance evolve as years go by through movies? Can you differentiate what is dance like on the camera and in the real world? Is it really the same or not?








Dance on films somehow have a different impact unlike watching dance live. You can see in dance movies how a dancer goes through before his or her big performance in the finale while in a live dance, you’ll just appreciate his or her performance on stage without appreciating his or her efforts before the dance. We are also fond of how cinematography signifies each movement of dancers in a movie while in a live dance you can’t see the highlights or movements of the dancers.

The movie “Step Up” (sequel) has really got a big impact on my dancing life since I was 13. I didn’t even bothered to miss all those movies because I think in this movie is where I got inspired of dancing. I am so amazed how each movie highlights a persona. On how this person goes through his life as a dancer and how he or she overcomes his or her trials until the big performance in the end. And also through these movies, I see dance so easy to do. It’s like they show dance as simple yet really complicated when you get to learn how to do it. And also I never get to forget how the protagonist gets his guy or girl after their big performance: a simple happy ever after movie.


I found an article entitled “Overview on Dance on Camera” in dance-tech. This article tells the difference of a stage work performance to a dance film. It also focuses on what dance elements are focused in a dance film and how is dance is seen through the camera.

According to the author Deidre Towers, “The makers of dance films consider the placement and movement of the camera, the lighting, the balance of foreground and background, and the composition within the framing of each shot in the overall choreography. A dance film can take many forms: documentary, dance designed for the camera (cine dance or screen dance), a screen adaptation of a stage work, animation, or kinetic abstraction.” 

I agree on how dance was taken to forms like a documentary type of movie similar to the film “Step Up 3D”. The protagonist in that movie is a movie maker/dancer and was able to come up with a documentary about his co-dancers in his crew. The film shows how each of the members of the crew was found and when they started dancing in the first place. It really serves as an inspiration to anyone.


Another article that I connect to the previous one is entitled “Dance for the Camera” in narthaki. It tells about a director’s story on how she makes a dance movie and its different to other kinds of movie. According to the author, Ileana Citaristi:
Dance is certainly a wonderful thing to film because it is all action and motion, which is exactly what film should be... As the cinematic space is different from the concert space, it has its own logic. The space created by the dancer is delineated by the gestures, is filled by the melody and punctuated by the beat. The cinematic space is delineated by the lenses, is filled by the light and punctuated by the cuts. “

Dance is surely can be anywhere. In the streets, clubs, schools, on stage even on cinemas or television. Through movies, dance is seen as a passion and life to the characters. Dance is the only thing that rotates in their world. I hope these movies inspire everyone out there to get up and dance their heart out.


No comments:

Post a Comment