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Mercury is an analysis of a series of ballet dancers’ movements
recorded at up to 2000 frames per second. In my previous Scottish Ballet
project (Public Private, 2004), the tempo of the film was determined
by the rhythms of rehearsal and rest, preparation and performance. For
this film, I wanted to explore the genesis of the dancers’ performed
movements: how they developed, and the impact they had on the dancers’ bodies.
Filming at high speeds yields an image that is analytical, rather than
observational. The technique is normally used in ballistics and engineering
to record the minute details of a sudden impact or a flash. Here, it
allowed me to focus on the intellectual and physical labour of the ballet
dancer: the refined adjustments and subtle shifts that a dancer makes
in order to shape a movement’s trajectory and character. Paul
Tyler’s way of coaching the individual dancers - at times reassuring,
humorous, technical - provided a further insight into how ballet movements
evolve in the studio.
At the same time though, like a ghost in the machine, another, more
poetic, world is produced in camera. Replaying high definition images
in real time creates a realm that exists only on film. In the documentary
extracts, we see the reality behind these slow dances - it is clear
that the lyrical, mythical aura of the slow motion is an artificial
effect. In spite of this, the temptation to attribute a whole range
of emotions to these strangely glorious, oblivious, levitating figures
is difficult to resist.
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