The Gift - A Micro Dance Film Workshop

Welcome to The Gift - A Micro Dance Film Workshop. 

Using the idea of making a gift for someone, to inspire creative thinking and moving, we will make short, one shot 20 second dance films for each other and if you choose the world at large. YOU CAN CHOOSE TO DO THE WORKSHOP OR TAKE THE IDEA OF A GIFT AND RUN WITH IT!!! Please Share your film @DanceARC10 when you are done.

How to Complete this Workshop

Originally designed as a full day workshop I have divided it into 6 sections so that you can access it at a pace and time convenient to your current work/school and life schedule at home. You can also choose to access some elements and not others depending on your desire. 

If you choose to do the workshop elements all at once it will take about 2-3hrs, depending on how much time you spend on each individual creative task. It is reccommended that those under 15 are supervised/assisted by an adult to complete this workshop.

The workshop structure is:

• Introduction

• Dance Warm-up (This includes 3 video exercises. One of which is a creative task.)

• Creative Tasks and Learning

• Making your film (putting everything together and creating a 20 second 1 shot dance film)

• Sharing your film (choosing where & with whom you will share your film)

• ZOOM Workshops

1. Introduction

This workshop is part of The PAVE Festival. An annual grassroots community arts festival in Emerald, Victoria. Originally aimed at young people from 7 - 18yrs with the idea that the workshops would then become part of a larger youth dance performance project, I have opened the workshop up to any age group, any level of experience & any location around the world. As we all navigate this strange new world we are experiencing, finding alternative ways to connect and move through these new times and new spaces, seems like a positive way to travel forward. :)

What you need to do the workshop

• A camera (could be a phone or a digital camera)

• A clear space to move in. It doesn’t have to be big. A lounge room is fine. Follow this lnk for some tips on making a safe space to dance. https://www.facebook.com/danceARC10/videos/633343280578732/

Useful but not necessary

• A tripod or someone to help you film. If you do not have either of these get creative about how you prop up your camera. It can be done completely solo. 

• Props or costume items depending on your idea.

• A pen and note paper 

PLEASE DO NOT place yourself or others at risk while accessing this creative process. Follow the guidelines of your local governments and health professionals. PLEASE DO have fun individually, creatively explore the space you are in NOW, work with those who are currently sharing your space and connect with us all in the virtual world.

2. Warm Up - Let’s Dance!

The 3 videos below will take you through a movement warm-up for the body designed for small spaces. They will also introduce you to a few ways of making movement that you can use in your film. Eg. Improvistation (finding your own movement) & putting together learned movements in your own way.

WARM UP! This is an easy improvised warm-up designed for a small space. You do not need to do exactly the same movements as I do. Instead follow the instructions and find out for yourself how many different ways you can move different joints in the body. There are differnt levels to this warm up that are explained in the video.

3. Creative Process! Let’s Try Making Something.

The next 3 videos will take you through some different creative tasks to wake up your creative minds and bodies! This is where you need to think about how you will feel about your privacy. If you would like to share your film publicly but do not want your face to appear then make your movement and frame it so that your face does not appear. You can make movement with your hands or your feet or your knees. (See my video Something precious below in the next section)

Seeing & Looking & Framing

In this exercise you will spend some time practicing active seeing/looking. There are 2 main tasks;

1. The double circle of seeing with your eyes and seeing with your camera.

2. A time of exploration with your camera taking photographs of places you think you can move in.

Framing Movement

This video contains three tasks to help you think about how you might put the movement you have created into the frame of your camera.

1. Film your dance in Wide Shot, Mid Shot & Close Up.

2. Try some movement of the camera or moving your body through frame.

3. Experiment with putting your idea, location, movement & frame together!

4. MAKE YOUR FILM!!!

Taking all you have tried and learned, make your 20 second dance film! Below are some examples of 20 second videos that I made and some inspirational videos for framing, movement and place.

Three Gifts From Me!

5. SHARING YOUR FILM!

Let me start by saying that you do not have to share your film with me or anyone else. You can complete this workshop and show your film to the person you wish to gift it to and finish there, but…… I would really love to see the results of your efforts. The sharing of the creation is such a lovely part of the creative process. Below are some suggestions for ways you might like to share your films with me.

HOW

1. UPLOAD IT TO YOUR VIDEO PLATFORM OF CHOICE. You can upload your film to your video platform of choice and send me the link. Doing it this way means you keep control of your video. You can choose who can see it, when to take it down or off the internet. Both youtube and vimeo have password protect options. You can upload it as an unlisted video (which means it is only viewable by yourself & those who have the link) This is a half way point for those who prefer to remain private. You can also upload it to be publicly available on these platforms. If you do can you please acknowledge that the film is part of The Gift Micro Dance Film project.

2. FACEBOOK SHARING. You can upload it to FB. If it is not made public then I will not be able to see it. If you upload it to FB and make it public please use the hashtag #thegiftmicrofilm or tag @dancearc10 so I can find them. You can also share them to the dance ARC visitor post section or PM me via Dance ARC. https://www.facebook.com/danceARC10/

   3. You can email your film to me if you like. As long as the file size is under 25MB.

WHAT WILL I DO WITH FILMS?

1. For those who are happy to have their films shared publicly. I would like to collate a gallery page on this website to collect the gifts together. I will be sharing the gallery link on FB via the Dance ARC FB page. Please make sure you send me the NAME of your film ata minimum. You can also send me any other details you choose such as perfomer/maker names and if you have a website (as an artist or creative individual) I will include that in the gallery post.

2. For those who would like to share their video with me only. You can send me the video or a link via email (see the contact page on this website). I will look at the film, reply to your email then delete it. That’s it!

MAKE SURE YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE HAPPY FOR ME TO DO WITH YOUR FILM!!

6. ZOOM WORKSHOP - Friday 3rd April @ 11am

I will conduct a zoom workshop on Friday the 3rd April @ 11am. This workshop will be primarily for questions. Please contact me via info@dancearc.org to get the link. I may schedule more zoom workshops if there is the demand.

PAY IT FORWARD

I am acknowledging my personal fortunate position right now and would like to ask people to pay it forward. I am offering this workshop FREE because I can but I would LOVE it if you would buy the music that is used in the workshop (see links provided in the youtube description sections) or pay for online content from other artists when accessing their work online. We are all learning how to make it work in this extreme situation, and how we can share the load and the wealth. This is one small way I can contribute.