Although I have never studied it seriously, I have always loved to dance. In the past 5 years or so, I have developed a fascination, passion, and admiration for western contemporary dance. At it's most powerful, the intimacy of the expression that lies in each move between the dancers draws me in and leaves me breathless and emotional. When done by the right choreographer and dancers, contemporary dance utilizes all the delicate physicality and extreme control of classical ballet while grounding itself in the more relatable physical vocabulary of natural movement, allowing for a broader and more visceral exploration of human emotion.
In this video animator Ryan Woodward takes advantage of his medium to integrate vivid visual metaphor into choreography of real-life dancers, extending the physical capabilities of what the human body can communicate. Some of the animation even seems to me to tap into the abstractions the dancers might envision in their minds while they are dancing in order to embody the emotions of the piece.
Some parts I find particularly powerful are:
0:50 - the female dancer becomes strands of white light that the male dancer chases and finally grabs. Woodward transitions seamlessly between dance and animation. The emotion of the choreography is upheld and even clarified.
1:48 - the male dancer fights to get off the ground and his limbs become heavy, dragging behind him and weighing him down. Here is a perfect example of the visual poetry Woodward animates to express the defeat and immobilizing grief felt in the body.
This is a remarkable and inspiring example of the kind of creativity that comes out of multi-media and collaborative work. No idea is too simple or too sappy or too cliché - Woodward shows that what matters is the vision, the commitment, and the execution.
