…between verbal analysis and physical movement…

Yes, this is one of the finest dance films ever made, but there’s more to it than that.

A.O Scott reviews Frederick Wiseman’s “Le Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet” in today’s New York Times.

“And ‘La Danse,’ among its other observations, emphasizes the distance between verbal analysis and physical movement. Dance is a vehicle of meaning and emotion, but it is also a technical undertaking consisting of minutely controlled muscular movements. What goes on in rehearsal is the negotiation between art and technique, and language is a paltry but necessary tool. One choreographer prattles on about ‘context’ to a dancer who nods her head gamely but studies his body language more than his words. Another choreographer, an Anglophone working with French performers, forgoes words altogether, communicating his ‘notes’ through a serious of hums and clucks, like a scat singer or a human beat box.”

The full article is here.

To dive more deeply into the world of dance on screen, visit Movement Media and check out their Move the Frame blog for theory, criticism, and events regarding dance on camera.