Side-by-side analysis (duet)

Can unison movement be achieved when two different dancers are in different spaces? I don’t think so. At least not for my choreography. When static movement is filmed, the perspective of the view of the audience, and where the dancer is dancing in their space that affects the ways in which they are viewed. For instance, Jodie and Giada didn’t have much depth in their spaces. If they did, they didn’t particularly use it. This leads to some of the movements becoming smaller or toned down as opposed to how the movements were originally choreographed, or meant to be performed. Additionally, I find it particularly interesting to note the differences in timing between the four dancers. Timing was a major aspect of the virtual rehearsal process that I found to be difficult. Not only navigating the delay of the Zoom screen, but adapting the choreography so that each of the dancers could rely on themselves, rather than on each other.

In regards to storytelling and expression, I believe the original choreography allows the audience to connect on a deeper level. The adapted duet seems distanced in a way that pulls focus away from the story and choreography, and puts more of the focus on the individual dancer and how they are moving and performing. It also doesn't help that the moments I attempted for the dancers to connect and look at each other ended with them both looking in the same direction. Something to take into consideration for my next project: having clear expectations and rehearsing them so that they become clear to the dancers as well.