Fulldome Dance : a new kind of
Screen Dance invented at Thinktank Planetarium (2007)
Screen
dance (also known as dance
film) is an art form involving dance
specifically choreographed for the camera. Being a movement
language that can only exist on (and for) the screen,
it is an evolving art form also known as dance for camera,
screen choreography or video dance. In 2007 at Thinktank
Planetarium, in collaboration with choreographer Lisa Wetton
and video artist Leon Trimble, screen dance underwent a
transformation with the invention of a new form: fulldome
dance.
"Written
on the Body evoked new spatial relationships in
dance filmography by using a centrally located
fish-eye lens camera and having the dancers perform
around it. Their bodies passed over and above the
audience, who sat in the camera’s position as
symmetries formed around them in a very different
world to the upright, frontal view of a traditional
cinema. There was a great fluidity to the piece that
was a testament to the artists’ understanding of the
possibilities afforded by the dome." -
Digital
Creativity, Issue 1, Vol. 23, 2012
The full 8-minute version of Written
on the Body
Premiere night
Written on the
Body was extremely well-received by Arts
Council England officials, Coventry
University academics and members of the dance
community. Lisa, Leon and I were assured there was
much more funding available if we wished to explore
this exciting new type of screen dance further.
Naturally Lisa, Leon and I were very keen to do so -
yet Thinktank Science Museum management was not ('what
does dance have to do with science?').
Happily though, a talented group from Wales was quick
to pick up our new invention (and the funding) and
formed the highly successful The
Dance Dome.
Stills from Written on the Body
Written on the Body - An Introduction with
Notes
Of course I don't just give up on a good idea
simply because short-sighted management colleagues
don't 'get it'.
Under the Dome Club banner Thinktank
Planetarium partnered with DanceXchange,
choreographer Toby Norman-Wright, and video artists
Leon Trimble and Chris Vandyke - and with
easily-acquired funding - we created four more
fulldome dance films:
Dance 360°
Frames from the film and audience discussion on
premiere night
Inspiration
At the dawn of time, the Universe comes into being
and star fields begin to take form. The Hindu deity and
protector of life Prajapati (recognised as the
constellation of Orion in the West) materialises,
dividing and replicating into humanity and the animals
of the Earth.
Based on the Olympic value of Inspiration and created
for the 2012 Olympic Games
Courage
Dancers are uploaded into a computer‘s operating system
and race against time to battle a virus and resolve a
system error.
Based on the Olympic value of Courage and created for the
2012 Olympic Games
Friendship
Abstracted 360° body movements meet, greet, play and dance
together across the dome. This film was selected as a
finalist at the 2013
Jena FullDome Festival.
Based on the Olympic value of Friendship and created for
the 2012 Olympic Games
The three Olympics-inspired films were also taken on
the road and screened in portable domes around the UK
I was extremely fortunate to have contributed towards
the invention of a new art form - and to have done so as a
science educator in a science museum - was a unique
privilege indeed.