One of the great things about seeing dance live is that each person in the audience is an editor. While an intelligent and talented choreographer has a tremendous amount to do with guiding an audience’s eye, ultimately each person therein makes her/his own decisions about where to look, or even whether to look at all.
So today – a time in which we are all inundated with media via our smart phones, computers, and more – when the camera successfully captures lush and beautiful movement that is framed and choreographed specifically for each shot, it can be incredibly satisfying. And, unlike live dance, you can watch it again and again.
This is the case with Jacob Sutton’s Dancers. Just over a minute long and shot in black and white, it’s short, sweet, and a delicious and fulfilling little treat. I became aware of Sutton’s work this past April when his The A to Z of Dance came onto the scene and I featured it in ScreenDance Diaries. I then proceeded to search the web for everything else that I could find of his.
In this New York Times production of Sutton’s Dancers, I love the way the entangled bodies move en masse as a unit, pushing around and through one another with expressive hands who’s origins are nearly unidentifiable, and the use of black with parts of bodies disappearing into it. In some ways, in part because of the frontal quality of the filming and the precision of the framing, it reminds me of works of Dominique Palombo, also featured regularly herein. Enjoy.