Resources - Publications capturing the art of motion
Documentation Process
What is a
documentation process: Means by which knowledge of the event
survives beyond the moment of performances. The process fixes
some portion of a dance event outside of the temporal and
spatial boundaries of the performance.
(from
Toward
a Dance Documentation Framework Analysis and
Evaluation)
Documentation
as An Encouragement of Memory
Performance’s
only life is in the present. Performance cannot be saved,
recorded, documented, or otherwise participate in the
circulation of representations of representations: once it
does so, it becomes something other than performance. To the
degree that performance attempts to enter the economy of
reproduction it betrays and lessens the promise of its own
ontology. Performance’s being, like the ontology of
subjectivity proposed here, becomes itself through
disappearance…Performance occurs over a time which
will not be repeated. It can be performed again, but this
repetition itself marks it as “different.” The
document of a performance then is only a spur to memory, an
encouragement of memory to become present.
(from Unmarked:
The Politics of Performance by
Peggy
Phelan)
Archival vs. Creative Records
A major
consideration in the creation of a dance record is the kind
of document that the creators need or desire. There are
several different types of records, which are referred to by
varying terms. “Archival” often refers to a
recording that documents the choreography, whereas
“creative” generally refers to a recording that
seeks to evoke the experience of viewing a
performance…preference for an evocative record
reflects, in part, the realization that videotape can ever
provide an exact “replica” of a
performance.
(from
The
Collaborative Editing Project to Document
Dance)
Camera
Work as the Foundational Building Block
Getting
good footage is essential to the creation of quality video.
Think of video as the building blocks with which the final
piece will be constructed. No amount of post-production magic
can disguise poorly framed images, shaky camera work or
glitches in the tape. Building a video out of ad footage will
result in a final product which is disappointingly
unprofessional and which will inevitably fail to represent
adequately the live performance. Whether the final product
envisioned is archival documentation, a promotional piece,
and edited program for television, or an impressionistic art
video, focusing on solid camera work using first-rate
equipment and high quality tape stock will provide a strong
foundation for the creation of a wide variety of video
applications both in the present and in the
future.
(from
Learning
Applications to Document Dance (LADD)
Project)
Line,
Space, Direction and Expression
We are
accustomed to think of line as a quality of the more graphic
art forms, rather than of so fleeting a medium as movement.
Yet movement is capable of linear design, which, if properly
employed, can greatly enhance its effectiveness. For sense of
line gives to movement qualities, which in themselves suggest
an emotional meaning. Our response to this quality in actions
may be due to an unconscious association with our sensations
of the gravity axes. There are feeling of repose, serenity,
strength, and breadth in the horizontal. The piercing,
ascending path of the vertical imparts the feeling of power,
dignity, and spiritual strength. The curved and sinuous lines
impress with their charm and grace and effortless flow of
movement. Because of our ability to sympathize muscularly, we
read ourselves into the lines and observe how it would feel
to move in their paths.
Sensitivity to space is another important factor contributing
to the emotive power of movement. Essentially it is an
awareness of the variety of directions that the body and its
parts can take with moving through space. It is a feeling of
“out-thereness.” It is a sense of relationship
between the self and space, considered as extensiveness
rather than as something having boundaries. For the dancer
this latter consideration refers to the patterns existing in
space, whose shapes are determined by the varying postures
the body assumes while in action.
(from Dance:
A Creative Art Experience by
Margaret
N. H’Doubler)
Choreographers
and Videographers in Collaboration
Experience
had suggested that the most effective documentation results
when choreographers and videographers work in collaboration,
sharing vital information about each other’s process
and working side by side in the editing room to produce a
final product that reflects high technical and artistic
standards.
(from
The
Collaborative Editing Project to Document
Dance)
Understanding Goals and Framework
An
understanding of the broader goals and framework of a dance
documentation project must be complemented by a thorough
grounding in the aesthetic vocabulary and cultural traditions
that inform the specific work to be recorded. The more a
videographer knows in advance about a dance, the more
specific a choreographer can be about what he or she is after
(both in the choreographic work and in the videotape
representation), and the stronger will be the final product.
By familiarizing themselves with a work, videographers can
anticipate exits and entrances; capture major shifts in the
focus, direction, and dynamics; address technical issues
related to lighting, scenic elements, and stage space; and
make appropriate choices concerning camera placement and
usage.
(from The
Collaborative Editing Project to Document
Dance)
To recommend a publication to be added to the list above, please contact
DanceDocumentation.com.