Dancing in movies can be problematic. Just ask the filmmakers. “Even if you watch the most revered dance films, they don’t feel the same visceral and kinesthetic connection you get when you watch them live,” declares Melbourne director Rhys Graham. “In a theater, you might be 20 meters away from the dancers, but somehow you feel a stronger physical connection than if you were shot up close.”
As he prepares for his documentary, Tribal RewardsAt his hometown’s premier screen event, the Melbourne International Film Festival, Graham reflected on the mechanics of dance’s transition from three to two dimensions. “All I’ve ever wanted to do is photograph dance like a novel,” he added. “It’s about the feeling of human emotion and connection on screen; so that’s how we chose our shots. How can we get closer to the inner experience of this character?
For Graham and his team, these “characters” are voluntary creations by two of Australia’s most recognized companies, Chunky Move and Restless Dance Theatre. Driven by chunky AD Anthony Hamilton, Tribal Rewards It was created during the COVID-19 affected period of 2021/22 and then premiered at the Rising event in Melbourne that year.
Of his involvement, Graham recalled: “I had a chat with Antony when Chunky Move first started working with Restless. [Hamilton] I see that they are still searching for the meaning of what it might be; and there are a lot of big and unusual ideas that are all colliding.
For film and dance producers, the timing is perfect. “I was looking for a movie that would challenge me, but I didn’t really know what it would be.”
This results in a more fluid and intuitive approach. Neither the dancers nor the director wanted it to be another “creative process movie.” Therefore, it is no longer “about” the dance work, but more about its human content, its more inner psychological and emotional processes.
“Once everything was in place, it took 18 months of shooting on and off, in Melbourne, in England, in Adelaide; you know, just gathering the elements we needed to tell the story.
To this, Graham is quick to add, “Sometimes it’s just intuition. Like, when you’re watching a dancer, where do your eyes go? Where do you breathe faster? What excites you?”
There must be a meeting point between choreography and photography. “Tribal Rewards It’s unique in a way because one of the things they’re good at at the beginning of the process is how to push back against the idea of perfection,” Graham revealed. “So one of the things they have to do is put objects into the space, put unreliable forms into the space, objects that bend and break or otherwise interrupt and disrupt the usual ‘perfection’ of the dance.”
As filmmakers, Graham and cinematographer James Wright ran in parallel, consciously limiting themselves. “We would create obstacles and distractions for ourselves. For example, one day we were doing everything on the dolly and just moving in a circular motion. Then, the next day, we were using a tripod at a certain height and filming everything with a 24mm lens Stuff. Another day, we strapped cameras to all the dancers.
All of this is based on capturing the deeper layers of process (development and rehearsal) and outcome (performance). “We had to find a way to make human connections without the objective, analytical, clinical precision that movies often default to.”
In this combination, Adelaide’s famous Restless Dance Theater’s “disabled” image fits more seamlessly. In fact, Graham’s approach seeks a broader framework for humanity rather than simply amplifying divisions Dis and capable.
“They are professional dancers. What is it about their lives that makes this a challenge?” he explains. “While the needs of the entire troupe are very different, there are commonalities at the same time. It’s physically and emotionally demanding. It’s It’s an incredibly all-consuming life, so when I was making this documentary I tried to get each subject to talk about themselves the way they wanted to, so that they could guide us to find the best way to express them. and the things they experience.
Has been screened at film festivals in Adelaide and Sydney, Tribal Rewards Now, with one season at MIFF, the national troika is complete. From then on, the industry practice of pitching productions to theater and the festival circuit would continue.
But where is the reward for the audience? “I’ve always been interested in creating stories at the level of intimate human experience, or at the skin level and how we move through the world and find meaning in our daily lives.”
Dancers, directors, disabled and non-disabled people will likely find a framework that allows them to access this universal humanity. This might be a nice bonus for movie theaters.
Author: Paul Ransom Dance information.
