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USC dance department presents filmed choreography showcase in response to COVID-19 | Arts

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There may be quarantines and social distancing, curfews, mandatory mask limits and occupancy limits, but an audacious collective of dancers at the University of South Carolina are taking their art outdoors, and capturing the process on film. The resulting short films can be viewed online as part of the Department of Theatre and Dance’s annual Student Choreography Showcase

“We put out a call, and six people chose to dive into the deep end, and explore film and dance outside of a studio or stage space,” explained faculty advisor Erin Bailey, who teaches dance at USC and other Midlands colleges, as well as leading her own troupe, Moving Body Dance Company.

The young choreographers, all women and majors or minors within the department, were given a virtually blank slate at the semester’s start, their only guidelines being the necessities of shooting primarily outdoors with small casts. Each student functioned not just as choreographer but as her own cinematographer and film editor. For inspiration, Bailey shared with them plenty of dance films, and department production manager Eric Morris provided technical support.

“They’re using (the Apple software) iMovie as their platform,” Bailey explained, “which is pretty user-friendly.”

Ellery Jernigan, a junior from Knoxville, Tennessee, said there’s uncertainty that comes with filming improvisation.

“I have found that some of the most interesting and beautiful shots have come from those moments,” she offered.

She described her work, “diffused LIGHT,” as “a contemporary piece that has a melancholy, yet bright feeling to it.”

“I hope it will be a very visually interesting experience for the viewers,” she said. “My inspiration for this piece was simply the idea of a soft, scattered light that seems to wrap around objects. Personally, it brings up feelings that often come to the surface when a good thing ends.”

Also featured are premieres of original works from Amy Chan, Sofia Justo, Natalie Long, Victoria Young and Julia Dunne.

Bailey noted that while there was no attempt to create a unifying motif or theme for the production, all of the films explore alternative dance formats. Created by and told from the perspective of students living in the time of COVID-19, depictions of isolation and loneliness inevitably creeped into the narratives, as well as the almost universal anxiety of young adults struggling to define themselves and their place in the world.

Dunne, a junior from Southern California, said that her piece doesn’t have a specific narrative.

“It is more just a continuous stream of movement that explores the use of space, location and time,” she said. “The title “Shaping” refers to both the shaping of bodies around and through these subjects, as well as the growth and evolution of the piece itself. Much of my piece was built around spontaneity and personal interpretation, with the direction of the film continuing to change and take shape as I worked.”

“The piece serves as a reminder to find happiness in the present moment,” Dunne added, “as you cannot revisit the past or see clearly into the future.”

Bailey noted that the films are exposing spaces that may have been previously overlooked, both around campus and beyond, an experience that may give the pieces immediacy and increased relevance for the average viewer. Each piece is only a few minutes long, with the entire presentation running under 45 minutes.

Camera angles and the artistic use of natural lighting have proven to be exciting new tools for the students, according to Bailey.

“You can defy gravity by use of film,” she enthused.

Health concerns were of paramount importance, the organizer and performers emphasized. Dunne explained that her cast comprised two fellow performance and choreography majors who made their own dance films this semester. Since they all lied together, they cased each other to keep things as safe and efficient as possible.

“As I am in the same bubble as my dancers, I did not have to work around the issue of physical distancing between us,” she explained, “although we had to make sure we were not dancing in areas where we would be getting too close to other people without our masks on. The main issue COVID brought to this process was that of scheduling. It seems to be that everyone is struggling with their workload this semester due to the restructuring of classes, so finding time to film in between other schoolwork was difficult.

“However, our time spent dancing felt like a productive way to give us a break from working inside all day, and I am glad that the changes to our performance season gave me the opportunity to create this work.”


Student Choreography Showcase

Dec. 1-4. 7 p.m. Free. dance.sc.edu.

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