The medium of film may have its origins in the photographic image, but its essence lies in the perception of movement through space and time. The moving image needs movement within the image – movement is what sets film apart from other mechanically reproducible arts. It is no wonder, then, that dance as a cinematic motif has been a throughline of film history. Dancing bodies have been popular onscreen since the earliest days of film. The elaborately produced musicals from Hollywood’s golden era (1927–1960), choreographed down to the smallest detail, are still a benchmark for the industry today. Film dramas from both the independent and mainstream sectors that use song and dance to break with the norms of certain genres are currently enjoying great popularity. Dance is also ubiquitous in the digital world today, with video platforms like YouTube and TikTok providing a global stage for viral dance trends. Last but not least, dance motifs are becoming increasingly important in current short films, which is why we are dedicating three programmes to dance and motion this year.
Movement is inherently ambivalent, especially when perceived on a screen. Within the rigid and one-way cinematic apparatus, the viewer’s body remains motionless – the motion only happens onscreen. Even when captured on film, dance is fleeting and must be danced to unfold its full power. In our programmes, we thus go beyond the fascination of movement captured onscreen, allowing audiences to also experience dance in its social and psychological contexts.
Dance and movement can be seen as moments of liberation. Dance has the ability to overcome boundaries: between artistic disciplines, between rigid genre categories, but also in a political sense. Those who dance demand space for their own bodies and their own being. Those who dance themselves into a frenzy leave behind everyday life, creating transcendent spaces of pure physicality that are full of possibilities. Where words fail, the body begins to speak. As a means of expression and communication, dance and movement have the potential to connect people across cultural and linguistic boundaries and to express deep emotions.
Our three programmes reflect these perspectives: Dance with Me invites us to join the characters onscreen in breaking out of everyday life and to find ourselves in dance. We see how new communities emerge and identities shift when dance disrupts the usual order. Your Space Is My Dancefloor explores the socio-political implications of dancing bodies taking up space. Here, dance becomes self-empowerment, a demand for visibility, and an act of resistance. The programme shows how movement can question power relations, shift norms, and redefine spaces – physically, politically, and symbolically. Finally, The Movies traces the interaction between motion and the moving image, inviting audiences on a journey through the various dance film genres of film history. The selection includes playful experiments from different periods, attempts at bridging the gap between moving image and immobile audience, and the commercialization of dance images and the style-defining power of choreographed bodies in pop culture cinema.
Curated by Inken Blum and Laura Walde
In Zusammenarbeit mit:Das Tanzfest Winterthur
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung von: