Baby, Remember My Name

Been working on a project documenting two different forms of dance; ballet and hip hop. Fantastic! I have been given free rein to film and interview dancers during rehearsals, Thursday was the Dutch National Ballet and today was a hip hop rehearsal at Amsterdam dance center.

The ballet had the most profound effect on me. I had never seen ballet live, nor really paid it much attention. Being on the sidelines of a rehearsal with dancers sweeping past me, lean, muscular and powerful men and women, making the most beautiful displays of strength and grace, was magnificent. Chatting with them during a break only added to my fascination.

An international group, with ages between about 19 and 35, they practice 6 days a week, mostly performing in the Netherlands but also touring Europe. Despite the variety of dancers I met, all communicated to me their unshakable commitment to dance. It is their a life and defines them and they talk about it like an occasionally abusive lover. They live with physical pain, fierce competition, the shortest career lifespan (second only to runway models) and confessed how little time they spent on family and friends, but if they couldn’t dance they wouldn’t be complete. They are compelled.

Anyway, I’ve been shooting with the Panasonic HVX200 HD camera, employing the 720p native variable frame rate to grab some slo-mo. It looks pretty cool, so I made a 5 second quicktime to share. Check it out here.