Dance : Rough Concept

We've decided that we want the section from the crash until the end of the poem to be the inspiration for our dance piece. We are not including the first paragraph (the part where they are driving before the crash happens). This is because we do not wish to follow the poem exactly or literally, and feel that it would be a nice contrast just using the chaoticness of the crash and then the peacefulness of the aftermath. We split the video up into three sections - the beginning, middle and end - to help guide us in where we wanted the story to go and how we wanted the changes to occur throughout. However we had trouble trying to gather all our ideas and translate into specific movements. I wrote a brief summary of what the poem is about to give us something simple to focus on and to make sure we were paying attention to the main points of the poem / not loosing track of the purpose.

It’s about a couple who may or may not accidentally dove off a cliff and their thoughts and realization of what heaven actually is to them. In their last moments they feel the freedom to do, be and say the things that life restricted them from when they were together in reality. 

After we had all posted our conceptualisation of the poem and ideas we had and discussed them over a Skype call, Laura came up with this layout for the movements in the dance.

The Dance

Beginning

• Roughly 1 minute duration 
• both dancers crash into the water, tumbling and stumbling over each other 
• they look like they are struggling to breath and seem like they are trying to escape something 
• all though apart there movements are in sync 
• slightly frantic but very fluid and floaty not rigid 
• the girl dancers struggle becomes less as if she is weaken 
• they both end up in the centre of the screen where she falls/ floats onto his arms

Middle

• 2/3 minutes in duration 
• the dance slows down and stops being so frantic but more intimate 
• they use each others bodies in a romantic playful way 
• fluid/soft movements 
• cant let go of each other always in contact 
• he moves her hair out of her face and strokes her face 
• lots of eye contact when can 
• intimate 
• like he has seen an angel

End (if filmed underwater)

• Roughly 1 minute duration
• the dance comes to a complete halt gradually 
• the couple are some how interlocked together as if they are one ( he is now an angel to [he is dead]) 
• float around but look like they are at peace

End (if not filmed underwater - possibility)

• Same as underwater except the couple, instead of floating, halt and remain still in their positions looking deeply at each other

Ideas on filming

Camera

I thought about using the camera to reflect the chaotic - ness of the crash instead of just the movement. For example fast panning around the dancers, a mixture of frame sizes to cut between quickly in the editing. I suggested that we try and give an impression of disorientation, reflective of the title "Liminality" and a feeling of not knowing which way is up or down. Laura and I discussed dropping the camera into the water and letting it tumble downwards to maybe achieve this.

I was also thinking that at the very end when the dancers come to a halt, we could pan outwards to a wide shot which would be tilted so that the audience would feel like they are looking slightly upwards to the dancers, almost like they are ascending to heaven / already there. This could give the impression that the viewer is remaining in the real time here on earth, whereas the couple have escaped this to a higher place.

Editing

Faster cuts throughout the chaotic stages i.e. the beginning section. Slower paced, longer cuts throughout the rest - gentle-ness.

At the end after the wide shot has finished, slowly fade to black and then credits.