Rehearsal 2 Three Columns of Light

The next rehearsal focused on altering the shape of the OHP frames and creating three vertical columns of light.  The three lines had an energy which had not seemed present in the single line and in response a faster phrase of material was created which allowed the dancer to shift rapidly from column to column.  I then explored the possibility of turning the light on and off the dancer's body, creating a slow motion strobe effect.  The final phrase was one in which the a series of complex images were flashed past the viewer.  The juxtaposition of light and darkness seemed an area which would warrant further exploration.  I was intrigued by the idea that the viewer could 'lose sight' of the dancer whilst still understanding that the dancer was continuing to move in the darkness. Video footage below demonstrates an example of some of the ideas captured.

Rehearsal 1 Images

Rehearsal 1 Solo Dancer and Column of Light

A single vertical column of white light was used as the starting point for the initial creative exploration.  When the dancer was placed in front of the OHP there were three factors which needed to be considered.  Firstly, the dancer was always going to be in view because the light was being projected from the front.  Secondly, the dancer could choose to stand to the side of the projected light or to place parts of the body directly into its beam.  This meant that it was possible to create a two tone effect in which the body had different levels of light on different areas.  The last consideration was that a shadow image could be created behind the dancer which could be altered depending on where the dancer was placed in relation to the OHP. 

We started by placing the dancer to the right hand side of the column (see photograph above).  The column created a strong visual and visceral presence and we explored the possibility of establishing  a dialogue between the light and the dancer.  We explored how the dancer could enter the light in different ways.  Initially the dancer's face is drawn towards the light, and as the face is hit with the strength of the light the dancer sharply retracts the head, almost as if they have been burnt.  We then allowed limbs and different parts of the body to be drawn into the light.  The effect of the column served to dissect the body into its component parts and allowed areas such as the torso and throat to be framed and over-exposed.  

The improvised material was structured into a short phrase of material which we filmed and reviewed.  I then watched the same material without the column to see how the material was affected by the removal of the light.  In the general overhead studio light the material had a very different quality.  The body could be seen as a whole and so the focus on specific body parts which had been a feature of the initial phrase was almost completely lost.  It was evident that this was now no longer a dialogue between two visual elements.

Rehearsal 1 Exploring Light from an OHP

The aim of the first rehearsal was to explore the creative possibilities of using light from an overhead projector.  For this part of the project I was working with a solo dancer Claire Coleman (pictured above).  I was keen to use sources of light which were easy to use and source and this idea was suggested to me by the theatre and lighting technician Karl Thurston Brown.  The default light which is projected from an OHP is a white square with rounded corners.  It is easy to adjust the height, size and focus of this output by using the manual settings on the machine.

One of the advantages of an OHP is that it is extremely quick and easy to change the shape and dimension of the light which is projected.  By placing different pieces of card onto the top panel of the machine it is easy to create different frames of lights such as columns, stripes, curves and squares.  

Relationships Between Choreographers and Lighting Designers

The traditional relationship between light and dance has tended to be one in which the choreographer has created the dance and the lighting designer has then 'lit the box' in which the work will be presented.  In recent years however, the relationship between designer and choreographer has started to become much more of a creative dialogue where the lighting design is a major creative element in the choreographic process.  There are now several high profile collaborative partnerships - Russell Maliphant and Michael Hulls, Lucy Carter and Wayne McGregor, Guy Hoare and Henri Oguike are perhaps the most well known examples at present.  

When asked what makes a good lighting designer Michael Hulls reply is tongue in cheek, '...The eyes of a painter, the hands of a sculpture and the soul of a poet.'    http://www.worlddanceuk.com/content.asp?CategoryID=462&ArticleID=346

It is clear from his description that Hulls believes that his role as a lighting designer is fundamentally creative and in the collaboration that he shares with Maliphant both artists acknowledge that the lighting often acts as a starting point for the choreographic process.  Maliphant describes Hulls as an architect of space, '...the space is always changing, opening up or closing down.  It's like breathing' (ibid).  The result is a creative dialogue between light and movement where the dance and the light can't exist without one another.

Lucy Carter has worked regularly for a handful of top British dance makers including Charles Linehan and Shobana Jeyasingh and what each choreographer wants from her lighting varies dramatically.  In common with Hulls she sees the process of lighting design as a creative one saying, '...I don't see the lighting as a technical thing...I ignore that side until I have my ideas and concepts' (ibid). As a result Carter does not always keep up to date with technological advancement within the industry.

The Finnish designer Mikki Kunttu has worked closely with the Swedish choreographer Tero Saarinen and both describe the relationship as an open dialogue.  Discussing the body of work the pair have created Kunttu says, '...We're doing our own thing...without any history or reference to anything else...Every time we start a new creation we start from nothing' (ibid).  Kunttu is modest about his own contribution to the final choreography stating that her lighting should not be too highly valued because, '...by itself it's nothing' (ibid).    

Image above by Chris Nash shows Henri Oguike in his solo dance Expression Lines with lighting by Guy Hoare and is available at www.ballet.co.uk/images/henri_oguike/cn_expression_lines_henri_oguike_back_view_downlite_500.jpg