What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.
"When we lose somebody we love, it is natural to seek the emotional support they once provided to us in other people, relationships and circumstances when really the comfort we are seeking and ultimately our healing is already existent within us. The deepest bonds of love can not be broken, rather they become a part of us and are calling us to remember what is already there."
Reminiscence is the third instalment of an ongoing short dance film series by Lucy Doherty exploring and unravelling her experience with loss & grief after losing her mother Jane to breast cancer in 2014.
"When we lose somebody we love, it is natural to seek the emotional support they once provided to us in other people, relationships and circumstances when really the comfort we are seeking and ultimately our healing is already existent within us. The deepest bonds of love can not be broken, rather they become a part of us and are calling us to remember what is already there."
Reminiscence is the third instalment of an ongoing short dance film series by Lucy Doherty exploring and unravelling her experience with loss & grief after losing her mother Jane to breast cancer in 2014.
Conceptualised & Directed by Lucy Doherty
Choreographed & Performed by Lucy Doherty & Sarah Boulter
Cinematography & Editing by Patrick Mazzolo
Music by: Olafur Arnalds
Release date: 2019
Choreographed & Performed by Lucy Doherty & Sarah Boulter
Cinematography & Editing by Patrick Mazzolo
Music by: Olafur Arnalds
Release date: 2019
Artist Interview: LUCY DOHERTY
LUCY DOHERTY details
Website: www.lucyjanedoherty.com
www.onedancecollective.online
Instagram: @lucy_doherty
Facebook: Lucydoherty
www.onedancecollective.online
Instagram: @lucy_doherty
Facebook: Lucydoherty
IntervieW Transcript: LUCY DOHERTY
Lucy Doherty: It was nice to explore this because this was a concept that could only be possible and achieved through film. Having that person disappearing and then appearing is not something that could happen in a life situation. So it was actually quite new to better explore, like taking someone out and having them re-appear. There's a lot of trial and error.
Melissa Ramos - Narration: That was Lucy Doherty speaking about her artistic process with experimenting with the cinematic language. I was curious how dancers gravitate towards filmmaking, inviting Lucy to discuss her filmmaking journey and to find out how she started exploring screen dance as an art form. Melissa Ramos: I want to ask you about how you became interested in exploring dance films and how did that come about for you? Lucy Doherty: Yeah. So my introduction to dance film was I guess just seeing dance on a screen would be like from my TV shows or YouTube. Like when I was first starting to take dance more seriously, like, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ had just come out and YouTube was becoming a thing and just kind of seeing dance on a screen. And the impact that could have on me as a viewer was inspiring. And I think throughout my practice since then, I've always been drawn to capturing dance on video and I never really associated it as a genre of like dance and film. That could be a thing. It's only really recently that my film practice has developed and I've discovered this world of dance film that is just so beautiful and powerful. Melissa Ramos: And how did you grow into it? What are the things that you were looking at within the process that made you just keep going? Lucy Doherty: I think just my love for dance basically is like the number one driving thing. But then my interest in film, as was what could I share through a film that I couldn't share through live performance. So that has kept me inspired and kept me exploring this medium. Melissa Ramos: ‘Reminiscence’ is touching a story about loss, grief and memory. What was your reason for making this film and how has it changed your life? Lucy Doherty: This film is part of a series, an ongoing series that I've been creating in memory of my mother who passed away nearly five years ago now as a way to honour her memory, but also a way to process grief and loss, which is a very hard thing to go through. But initially, yeah, it stemmed from a show that I put on, after my mom passed away. My initial reaction was to put this show on for her and let her memory; for my journey through that loss and that experience. So dance has always just been my way to process and my way to through difficult circumstances. So, yeah, continuing on from after doing that. The first dance film I made was marking the one-year anniversary after she passed and anniversaries are like difficult times. And so I reached out to Patrick who was the cinematographer, and I said, "I just want to film something I've made, I want to share it at my mum's anniversary". And so that was the beginning of this project. And I have been trying to create and share a film work each year, in memory of my mum. Melissa Ramos: I feel like it's something that you... It's like a letter to your mum. And you know she's seeing it. There is something magical, ethereal about your work and the rhythm of it. So it has that level of communication. Lucy Doherty: The next film that I'm making is, I'm making with my sisters. And I felt like I wanted to include them. And also, I wanted to know what their experience has been through loss, because I'm sure it has been different to mine. And going through the creative process with them talking about our experiences, I realised that our experiences have been so. And I guess that's the thing, there's no one way to go through grief. It's so different for everyone. And I think that's why dance is such a powerful way to move through it. And for people to experience, because when you see dance, you can experience it in your own way. Melissa Ramos: And the feeling of creating it. How does it feel after creating it? Lucy Doherty: It always feels good. Like it feels... It definitely helps. Yeah, it feels like something beautiful has come out of something painful. Melissa Ramos: All the dance scenes where you are guided by a mysterious spiritual person; are all close-ups. Can you talk more about this choice and its significance in conveying your movement story? Lucy Doherty: The choice was kind of just a reflection of wanting to keep Sarah's figure anonymous. Originally, we weren't going to have any of her body scene except for her hands. And it's kind of that wanted to portray that element of mystery ends. When someone passes you can feel their presence still. But you don't know... like, "where are they?" There's so much mystery to what happens after we die. So, yeah, wanting to portray that element of mystery. But then I guess the close-up came from just trying to not have Sarah in frame. So it ended up with those shots being a close up. But I like, in retrospect, I like that, the intimacy of that as well. The connection. Melissa Ramos: Yes, it is an intimate experience. Feeling something that's there. But it's not… It's very intimate. So you kind of came across that as part of the process. It just came naturally to do that. And I like how she just comes into frame. She's not just there. Sometimes it just comes in. Which is a beautiful composition. Melissa Ramos - Narration: This ‘world’, Lucy created with her movement narrative - connected her with a deeper resonance, that is beyond space and time. Thinking about this magic of making I was curious to find out Lucy’s process in regards to choreographing for the camera. Lucy Doherty: This film that I came up with the concept first; of having... Something that appeared to be a solo performance, but then moments with another dancer present throughout the piece and choreographing that, I collaborated with Sarah, who is the other dancer, and we created more of a duet. So we created a piece that we dance together and just moments of where she would connect with me. And then we explored how we could take her out of the piece and how I could do most of it by myself. And then there would be moments that she would be necessary for. Choreographing for the camera, I think we didn't really have that in the forefront of our minds when we were creating movement. We were just focusing on the story of the movement and the journey of the duet and then the solo. And then we just had consideration of the best angles and what would work to able to tell the story. And then collaborating with Patrick, who is the cinematographer on the day of the shoot to really refine the best way to capture everything and what movements would read from what angles. Melissa Ramos: The movements that you both created. Were you experimenting with a camera? Lucy Doherty: Yeah, we filmed everything as we were rehearsing, so we captured it and so we could see how it was reading and we capture it from different angles. And saw what was working and what didn't work? So yeah, we always had that reference in mind, of how it would look on the screen. Melissa Ramos: And you said that it was based on a story. Do you also write? Lucy Doherty: Hmm, yeah. I guess it wasn't such a narrative story; it was more a feeling and a situation. And so we explored through the movement how that could unfold. The name of the piece 'Reminiscence' is from the original song that we were working with. It was the same artist, but it was a different song. And we created to that mostly and then kind of like halfway through, we were like, "uh, we're not really liking this song anymore"(laughs). We weren't really specifically creating to the song. We just kind of had that feeling of it in mind. And then yeah, we ended up trying a few different songs with the movement we had created. And then finally found a piece of music that was really fitting for the piece. And that came quite late in the process. Melissa Ramos: I really loved that process. How you can decide if it's not the right one, during the process of putting it together. No, but it really worked quite well. Yeah. No, it's great. Melissa Ramos: What are the significant differences between dancing for the camera to dancing for a live performance? Lucy Doherty: Yeah, I think it's actually a very different... And I love both. I feel like dancing life is quite high energy. You're dealing with the energy of the audience and then also feeling you're interacting and you're giving and you’re performing. I feel like I'm quite external feeling. Whereas dancing for camera I feel is more intimate and subtle. I feel like I could just be myself. Not that I'm not myself performing live, but it's just a less outward expression. It's more natural and subtle than a live performance. Melissa Ramos: Yeah, and you said the words "subtle, internal". Is that more like your thoughts? So you're dancing your thoughts? In a way; through time. Lucy Doherty: Yeah totally... Melissa Ramos: That's what I love about with the moving image. You can go anywhere. It could be a dream. Could be a really long poetry or thought. It can definitely go in and out of time. So it has no boundaries in that way. But it has this way of being always different every time you watch as well, which is the magic of it, too. But it has its parallels with moving image and a dancer that language you're creating with movement. Melissa Ramos: Your body is your material. Could you talk about the physicality of your practice? Lucy Doherty: Yeah so I guess the physicality of my practice has evolved over time. And it's kind of been a bit of a reflection of my own relationship to my body and my physical being. I think as a younger dancer, it was very much about the physical exertion and like the training and the look and the aesthetic and what your body could do. And yeah, I think now it's kind of a more listening and respect of what... Yeah, my body is my material and I have to look after it and respect it, listen to it. So I try to take care of it as much as possible. And it goes through cycles, I guess, of how intense the physical is. So I do train at times like quite intensely and then at times I'm just nothing or really resting and taking timeout. Melissa Ramos: And is that when you listen to your body or do you listen to it? Lucy Doherty: I try to listen to it all the way through, I have to push through some things. Like if I'm working on a job or something, where It's super physical. It's like now; I can listen to it and take care of it. Melissa Ramos - Narration: To continue Lucy’s love for dance, she established a dance organisation with her partner Robert McLean. With the desire to bring together a dance community: to connect and empower them through the transformation of dance & movement. Melissa Ramos: 'One Dance Collective', can you tell me about what your organisation do? Lucy Doherty: So 'One Dance Collective' is basically just an organisation that aims to support other dance artists with development programs and workshops focusing on personal development, professional and creative development. Melissa Ramos: And what kind of workshops do you run? Lucy Doherty: We run like weeklong intensives with different choreographers. And then we also have a program that runs weekly in Sydney and it's focused more on connection to yourself and connections to other artists. It's basically just a way to build community and support because I feel like being a dancer is hard and it can often feel quite isolating. So it's like just the focus on bringing that community together to support each other. Melissa Ramos: That's really great. And I think a lot of dancers would find that so valuable to connect with other dancers and have something to discuss about their practice. And how do you get them to look into the personal progress in the dance? Do they bring in their ideas? Lucy Doherty: Yeah, we kind of have a different focus each term for that program. So it'll be a different topic or different thing to explore on a personal level and then on a group, like a lot of discussion and reflection. Melissa Ramos: Reflection and also dancing? Lucy Doherty: Yeah. (Laughs) |
"My interest in film was in what can I share through film that I can't share through live performance. That's what kept me inspired to explore this medium.." |