Being a choreographer who does a tremendous amount of site-specific work, I love seeing a great location that is used to positive effect with dance on film. When a site’s scale is large and its contrast in relationship to the human body is captured with interesting camera angles, choreographic reveals, and compelling dance, my attention is grabbed. The fact that all three – choreography, site, and scale – are further embellished by the coming and going of traffic in the background, I love. I know that cars and dance together may be an unlikely pairing, but somehow they work for me.
In S2DIO City: The Bridge we see four classical dancers in black tutus revealed as they move in unison bourre-ing on pointe out of the pillars of a bridge’s archway. The short unfolds mixing wide and medium shots of movement, as well as low angle close ups of pointe shoes on asphalt with speeding buses going by against the background of a yellow sky (at dawn?), and smart and interesting contemporary movement that is integrated with classical nuances and references.
Created in 2012 for John Chu’s DS2DIO under the guidance of Director/Choreographer Christopher Scott, and very well danced by Jaime Dee, Jessica Lee Keller, Nina Kripas, and Melissa Sandvig, with music (“My Strength”) written and performed by District 78, The Bridge is a smart and lovely little short, well worth viewing. And of course I love the inherent suggestion that dancing on bridges is a normal, everyday occurrence… And after all, why shouldn’t it be?
Enjoy.
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