Many of the concepts from Erin’s ‘Animation’s Dance’ piece reminded me of how movement was expressed during this year’s Olympic opening ceremonies in Beijing. Thousands of bodies worked in unison to convey a range of thoughts, emotions and symbolism. Our perception was toyed with and tested by the range of bodies as they manipulated time, rhythm and space, and their movements constructed and deconstructed various positions and forms. Similar to McLaren’s work, “We do not actually see the interval but we do feel its force as it unfolds into the perception of movement moving” (Manning, 1). During the performances of the opening ceremonies movement was experienced like a ripple in a wave, the viewer was unable to process the meaning in its entirety until every body had contributed to shaping the virtual idea. Watching these performers was to experience the interval take form, which in turn expressed a thought in motion. Like Pas de Deux, movement in the opening ceremonies, “is felt not in a pose but in its experiential taking form across time and space” (Manning, 2). Often times the amazing part of the performance wasn’t the final position or thought but how they were able to create it through their range of motion. The choreography was simply unfathomable, and despite of its enormous scale I felt they were able to use extremely complex movements to convey an inviting and visually stunning display of beauty and tranquility.
2 comments:
fascinating! I don't know if you know Riefenstahl's images from Olympia, but the images you posted are almost exactly like the ones from the Mary wigman series in Olympia - no doubt a copy (and the argument I make about them is very much according to the lines you raise here!)
I missed the Olympic's opening but after seeing the pictures that you posted, I when to look at it on you tube. I have to agree with you, the impression left by the movement and use of space in the choreography was fantastic. It is showing how movement is everywhere, with or without perception by man, and how what seems separate individual are just one ensemble of a moving force, a whole of life.
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