Choreography

As a dancer and teacher of social dancing I had the propensity to look down on choreographed pieces, pretty to look at but confining to dance. Therefore, it was an illuminating experience to choreograph for Linda F (Italian, 2008 release).
The star of the movie, Victoria di Pace, had show tango experience and we had met at a milonga in Torino, so I figured that as preparation we would just dance a bunch, practice a few interesting elements, and improvise the performance.
Boy, was I wrong... The music was written explicitly for the movie, and was a particularly lively piece, with tempo changes and bare melodic accents. The more we danced, the more it was impressed on me that to do it justice we would have to precisely match its highlights with corresponding movements, its lulls with expressive pauses. In addition, the camera demanded that our movements be reproducible for multiple retakes with different camera angles, making improvisation impossible.
This turn of events was uncomfortable at first, restrictive and unfamiliar. However, as the work progressed I found increasing freedom within its confines. Liberated of the need to consider new movements each dance, we could concentrate on the how and why of each step. What did this walk mean-- was it happenstance, piercing, or tender? How were the character's emotional states conveyed in the dance? Is this how they would have done it at that moment in their lives? Dancing in entire phrases, each step had proper energy. That boleo was not just a boleo, but an expression of anger and a prelude to a penetrating gancho.
At some point the choreography faded from existence. Each movement became instinctive, what fit the music and emotional state best. We could have danced something different at any moment, but chose not to because what we did felt richer than the alternative.
So what do I think of choreography now? It has its place in a social dancer's development even if not the social dance. It improved my phrasing and depth of movement-- what to say, how, and when to say it.

I didn't get to dance for the film, budget problems, but I'll try to catch it on DVD to see what of the project remained.