Bodies in place: location as collaborator in dance film

Abstract

This article examines the significance of the performer–place relationship in dances created for the camera. By looking at my own dance films as well as those from Maya Deren to Isabel Rocamora, I uncover the deep import that location has taken on in the dance film genre. Owing to the near absence of spoken text, the filming strategies used in the genre (including frequent use of close-up and long shots) and a keen interest in narrative, place has become not only an essential marker for comprehension of the films, but a partner alongside and in dialog with a responsive, phenomenal body. Employing theories from site-specific performance as well as from the growing scholarship around screendance, I scrutinize what occurs to the performer–place relationship during the filming, editing and viewing processes, in order to demonstrate the direct, kinesthetic impact that a de-hierarchized performer–place partnership can have on viewers across the screen divide.