and ownership of the project as being hers
captured and it is in this process we will
(i.e. as opposed to being a ‘participant’).
find a form for it. We don’t want this film to be a ‘pretty’ dance film but to somehow
Over the 2 months, the performers
convey something of the process and not
emerged from an incredibly quiet non-
to hide it. The film will be the result of
speaking group to becoming more vocal,
what happened.
playful, free in their movement and expressive. This was seen in the dance
While working with any ensemble, I apply
phrases that were developed to allow
the same principles, working with any
space for one’s own timing and give each
ensemble, although each the process is
a license to their own poetic expression.
modified according to certain conditions
For example, Joanne performed a dance
and where participants are at in their
phrase for camera and in her timing,
development. My aim is to engender
paused, looked long and deep into the
a sense of agency or ownership with
camera and then folded over out of view.
any individual I engage with - whether I’m coaching emerging dancers, young
By the end of the process, I felt we were
actors at the University of Wollongong or
just discovering each other. This was in one
working with senior community members
sense frustrating, but it’s also promising as
– so that each person can hopefully realize
we are all planning to work together in 2017.
that their expression is just as valuable as
I think we are now ready to explore more
anyone else’s. From my experience, a great
specific exercises in the BodyWeather ‘tool-
deal about becoming an artist is first, and
kit’ and it will be good to run workshops
foremost, about perceiving yourself as an
where there is no expected outcome, such
artist and this takes time.
as the book or film. There seems to be a genuine curiosity for our explorations so far and by the end of the process, the
Article Cover Image is Allen Zhu in the
ensemble had expressed their desire to
developement stages of DANCE DIARIES:
work together next year.
WOODVILLE. Photograph by Linda Luke
All the footage is now gathered in a 3.5 inch hard-drive box and Martin and I head into the edit suite in January. The two of us are in discussion about how we will saturate ourselves with all the footage we
52