Animating the Real: Illusions, Musicality and the Live Dancing Body

Jo Read

doi:10.18061/ijsd.v11i0.7100

Abstract

Animation film frequently uses dance and choreography as part of explicit scenes to help assist with and compliment the narrative. Although animators frequently acknowledge relationships between dance and animation, scarcely any scholarly work considers how animated film principles are used and applied within live dance performances. Additionally, although many scholars discuss the relationship between live dance and music and similarly animation and music, rarely has the collision of all three been scrutinized. In this article, I draw upon principles from animation film and choreomusical scholarship to show a complex relationship between the real and the pretend in a solo street dance performance. Based on detailed movement analysis of a short solo dance performance by Isaac "Turbo" Baptiste, I discuss the ways that moving image can influence live dancing bodies and create endless possibilities for choreomusical play.

Highlights

Animation film frequently uses dance and choreography as part of explicit scenes to help assist with and compliment the narrative
Animation has a robust foundational association with dance and choreography, as even in its basic form it is described as "movements-that-aredrawn" or "drawings-that-move." 1 Animators frequently discuss the importance of dance and choreography in their practice,2 yet few scholars discuss the impact of animated film techniques on the live dancing body3
It is a broad term to describe a wide range of filmic techniques, approaches and formats, including cel animation, computer generated imagery (CGI) and stop-motion animation

Summary

Introduction

Animation film frequently uses dance and choreography as part of explicit scenes to help assist with and compliment the narrative. More remarkable still, is the presence and influence of animation in this scene (referred to in italics throughout to distinguish from animated film), a popular dance style where live dancers aim to imitate and appear as animated characters with their movements. I investigate animated film principles and musicality in a live dance performance involving animation and closely related illusory movement styles.

Results

Conclusion