Improv
Improv
2007/08
Improv is a series of dancefilm studies into the movement of dancers / choreographers from the former Ballet Frankfurt (Cora Bos-Krose, Kevin Cregan, Ayman Harper, Amy Raymond, Natalie Thomas and Mario Zambrano). Using sharp, kinetic editing and multiple screens, the film distills the movement exploration that is created in a dance studio. The viewer is given the physical experience of not only being a dancer in a studio, but also a camera person shooting dance in a studio. Another camera recorded their interaction, resulting in a third, voyeuristic layer.
The raw, improvisational film footage from the Ballett Frankfurt studio reflects an exchange between the body and technology and it is this moment of being fully engaged, whether it be with your body or with a camera, that is key to the work. Similar to a musical “jam,” the solo, duets and trios are casual, inspired and at their core, improvisational.
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“The raw, improvisational film footage from the Frankfurt Ballet studio reflects an exchange between the body and technology and it is this moment of being fully engaged, whether it be with your body or with a camera, that I was interested in exploring. Most film or media artists are trained or encouraged to pre-visualize or storyboard their imagery. Contemporary dance artists, to the contrary, are encouraged to work in an improvisational manner. This often creates a gap in the field of dance/film, where film artists are used to working one way and dance artists another way.
Improv was an experiment in a new way of shooting dance, taking the rigor or shooting 16mm film and translating into the casual realm of the dance studio. By synthesizing the formalism of film and dance into almost messy, improvisational context and structure, it has forced me to be succinct, poetic and innovative in my artistic expression.”