within her eyes Flashcards
who is the choreographer of within her eyes?
james cousins
what was the company for within her eyes?
james cousins company
what was the date of the first performance of within her eyes?
february 2016
what is the dance style for within her eyes?
contemporary /contact work
what was the choreographic approach for within her eyes?
- two starting points: narrative an emotional themes and the physical idea of keeping the female dancer off the floor
- movement made in collaboration with the dancers through improvisation which was filmed and learnt back
- james then pieced these segments together into a structure that reflected the narrative arc of the story.
what is the stimulus of within her eyes?
- love story with a twist
- inspired by personal experiences and well known narratives
- combines themes of love and loss, dependency and loyalty, longing and memory
- ultimately they could never be together
what is the choreographic intent of within her eyes?
- abstract tragic love story open for interpretation
- female constantly reaching, wrapping, balancing and falling on and around the male dancer
- choreography contrasts the folding into him with the pulling away to highlight the pull she feels to her late lover whilst trying to allow herself to move on with the man who cares so much for her
- the male dancer never initiates or manipulates, he merely responds to her every move, devoted to her
- mood is tender, emotional and sombre
- in complete contact dependent on each other
- combines both the impressive physicality with a dark, emotional heart, resulting in a daring and intimate work that both moves the audiences emotionally and inspires with its physicality
how many dancers are in within her eyes?
2 (1 male/1 female)
what is the duration of within her eyes?
17 minutes
what is the structure of within her eyes?
a prologue followed by 6 continuous sections, defined by changing locations, physicality and music that reflect the developing relationship. overall the effect is one seamless journey.
what is the aural setting of within her eyes?
- created specifically for the work, evolved alongside choreography
- composed by Seymour Milton in collaboration with James
- music combines electronic elements with strings and piano creating a haunting and emotive accompaniment that blends seamlessly with the choreography, flowing as one
what are the costumes in within her eyes?
- stylised everyday clothes.
-female dancer wears a beige shirt and skirt. - male dancer wears a khaki jumper and jeans.
- darkness contrasted with the lightness of hers creates the illusion of her floating on him in the space.
- dark costume links him to earth
- light costume gives ethereal and celestial feel.
what is the lighting of within her eyes?
- only natural light of environment
- development from daytime to evening into night to show passage of time of the relationship
- darker setting towards the end of the duet adds to intensity and intimacy of the final section
what is the performance environment of within her eyes?
- site sensitive, dance for camera
- filmed by scratched
- film is shot and graded to refelect the dark atmosphere of the inspiration
- after prologue, camera starts very far away from the dancers, giving the feeling that they are completely isolated in their own world, the viewer is a secret observer
- as the relationship grows closer, the camera moves in closer but still keeps distance until the dancers look at each other when it moves right in to close up on their faces
- majority of the film is shot with the camera on a track giving a very smooth quality
- penultimate section switches to a hand held camera giving a much more raw and unstable feeling reflecting the female characters heightened emotional state
What is the staging/set of within her eyes?
- set in remote locations, feeling of isolation and separation from society
- locations progress from open landscapes to more intimate settings to show passage of time and relationship getting more intimate and restricted as it progresses
