Dance Film: Horizontality and Embodiment

FROM CIFRA: You won’t find these dances on stage — they’re made for the screen. Nika Parkhomovskaia’s picks are all about mixing human moves with camera wizardry and editing magic. Get set for some mind-blowing moments: imagine regular people standing in line, then suddenly breaking out into a perfectly synchronized dance routine. FROM NIKA PARKHOMOVSKAIA: We are constantly told how necessary it is to listen to each other and come to an agreement if we want to avoid a catastrophe. We are constantly talking about horizontality and equality. But in many ways, these wonderful ideas remain utopian and seem to be an out-of-reach dream. However, there is an art form that has been the embodiment of non-hierarchical, trusting relationships for a long time. That is dance film (aka dance on screen, videodance, film dance, cinedance), a horizontal movement at its core, since choreographer and filmmaker, performer and camera, dance and image, movement and stillness coexist on equal terms. Despite being as old as cinema and what we now call free dance, dance film still hides in the shadow of better-known visual and performance art forms. It’s time for a change. I tried my best to collect works in which not only aesthetics are important, including the beauty of movement and image, their harmonious or contradictory relationship, and artistic discoveries, but also ethics, recognizing the choreographer and filmmaker as equals and showing mutual respect through the artworks. There are two films by Dina Veryutina, who has for many years not only been making dance films, but also engaged in its popularization. In “CtrlC/CtrlV,” the dance moves fast and fierce, almost swirling us around with the camera. But in the slow, thoughtful “midday,” shot in black-and-white, it’s more like the dance wraps around the viewer, creating a meditative atmosphere. Then there are “Breath” and “PISS” by famous dance films author and curator Kati Kallio, where she acts as a choreographer and a protagonist, both of which are ironic and funny. It feels like she’s poking fun at herself and all of us who find ourselves in silly situations, where we not only lose our cool but also our ability to breathe and move properly. In contrast, Helena Jonsdottir finds poetry in everyday life, exploring how dance can be a lifeline amidst the monotony of daily routines. Thanks to famous music tracks and a deliberately “simple” picture, her “GONE” and “BIRGIR” become a true anthem to movement, dance, and freedom. The creative duo Samaya Wives takes a different approach: their vibrant, visually stunning dance films showcase a clear dramaturgy, inviting us to witness the freedom of choice — how the body expresses itself and moves according to its own desires. Dance film artist Hadi Mussali is intrigued by the notion of aligning one’s identity, lifestyle, and movement. This theme captivates him in works like his documentary auto-fiction “Bellydance Vogue” and “Les fleurs du mâle,” where he explores the challenge of expressing queer essence and the queer body through appropriate visual language and movement. Non-binary body and the new original movements associated with it, which are born right in front of the viewer’s eyes, are the main theme of the piercing mono dance film “THIS DANCE HAS NO END.” In it, Daz Disley captured the passionate performance by Fenia Kotsopoulou, who is actively searching for a new language in her other work, “IN SIDE OUT.” Mira Rosa Plikat depicts the relationship between two women, the co-dependence of cute girls in sophisticated dresses, while Blas Payri, in contrast, concentrates on the phenomenon of liberation through movement and dance, creating an ephemeral and airy narrative, playing with light, shadow, and color. These works, by harmonizing movement and visual effects, demonstrate the possibility of equal, trusting, and respectful relationships. This synergy between dance and cinematography, choreography and filmmaking, suggests that such relationships might extend beyond art and into broader reality.