12 Practices

Filmmaker: Chang Liu (Leo)   

Performer: Nastia Ivanova, Sam Huczkowski, Jonathan Starr, Seung-Hwan Lee, Alban Ovanessian Produced in 2020 

Research Supported by Norrdans 

Premiered at Norrdans Black Box, Härnösand, Sweden

Shooting Location: Norrdans, Härnösand, Sweden  

Concept: 

12 Practices is a screendance work, filmed between August and December 2020, born from an open-ended exploration without a fixed plan or destination. The work is based on the physical and emotional connections I developed with contemporary dancers and dance practitioners while continuously repositioning the camera to respond to their movements. The project was also carried out with the aim of documenting the artistic processes of the dancers I was collaborating with, therefore providing a unique insight into their creative practices.  

While editing the film, my goal was to preserve its inherent qualities and simplicity by intervening as little as possible. At the same time, I intentionally broke the linearity of the clips and rearranged them in a way that redefined and gave new meaning to the original methodologies used by my coworkers. This allowed me to observe how choreography, concept, and movement interact from an outside perspective.  

In the absence of verbal communication and with the camera frequently concealed from the dance practitioners, I scrutinized and reinterpreted their artistic endeavors, dismantling and reassembling what I identified as “12 Practices.” This methodology evolved into a contemplation of the manner in which dance practitioners interact with their art form in profoundly choreographic, conceptual, and physical dimensions.  

The framework of the film drew significant influence from the chapter titled “41 Exercises” in the book Are We Here Yet? authored by Jeroen Peeters and Meg Stuart, which informed my methodology for documenting and reinterpreting the intricate techniques of the dancers.