Edouard Lock's Amelia.
Final day at Dance Screen Brighton. Bob Lockyer nudged me towards some of the films directed by choreographers and Lock's austere essay on pointe was quite special. These films have a greater pace and urgency than those by directors from cinema or TV backgrounds. I also liked Wim Vandekeybus's Blush, which I would almost certainly have hated had I seen it staged, but which was compellingly reimagined for the camera. A few other points from Brighton: the eclipse of dance on TV, the return of narrative, and the search for a place in the art market. I saw some truly dire films in the last three days, but more good material than I expected.
Dance film makers see broadband internet as their salvation. The big broadcasters have lost interest, even in material that will interest the theatre dance audience. A very moving documentary on Rudi Van Dantzig, Voeten op Aarde/Tuin van Eros, which won the prize for best documentary, was a case in point. It's by Dutch TV and I doubt it will ever be seen here. Van Dantzig has cancer and this was as much a personal testament as a documentary. The film followed him through the stages of creating a short work, which was then shown. The relationship being explored is homoerotically charged; the powerful underlying statement is about neediness and solidarity. I found Van Dantzig's personal honesty compelling. This is a very singular programme and it is a shame that it should disappear almost without trace into an archive.
The web, as broadband becomes more stable, could prove to be the way to reach niche audiences, like the several thousand people here in the UK, who might have liked to see the Lock or Van Dantzig films.
One young British/French director whose work I really liked: Magali Charrier (she won Dance Film Academy). Her films have a distinct metre as well as humanity and humour.
Previous posting; Brighton Days
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