Documenting dance and physical actor training for the web

As a dance artist and filmmaker my work mainly sits between dance for camera and the documentation of performance and process. The documentation side of my work involves being part of the rehearsal and development process with artists, capturing glimpses of the decision-making and the conversations which are an integral part of the final work, but rarely seen by the audience. My work aims to show another side to creative practice and potentially offer a deeper understanding of the process, however the work often ends up taking new forms that are different but understood by the artist.

Can the documentation of an artistic process – when produced by an artist – ever not become an artwork of its own?

In my current role as Research Associate on the Leverhulme Trust funded project Physical Actor Training: an online A-Z (to be published by Methuen, Bloomsbury as part of Drama Online in 2018) I am working alongside Professor Paul Allain (Kent) Professor Frank Camilleri (Malta) and Peter Hulton (Exeter) to develop a digital resource to document the process of Physical Actor Training.

The digital resource will compile a series of short films, audio commentries and images to show a range of training approaches and exercises that move from highly technical to more creative task based exercises. Alongside this I am developing a parallel A-Z of the practical approach to the film techniques required for digitally documenting Physical Actor Training. This work aims to highlight specific camera techniques used for capturing this work and showcase the synergy between the physical aspects of movement and film to encourage further study and self-reflexivity within the practice.

Can the documentation of a physical practice ever be a true representation of the experience?

Stacie Lee Bennett: Stacie Lee Bennett Leverhulme-funded Research Associate on ‘Physical Actor Training – an online A-Z’ University of Kent, Canterbury, UK http://www.stacieleebennett.com

Stacie is a dance artist and filmmaker whose work and interests interweave documentary-style films and visual art. Graduating from the University of Chester with a 1st Class Honours degree in Dance in 2011, Stacie then gained an MFA in Choreography from the University of Roehampton in 2013. Stacie’s work aims to represent the experience and potential of dance/performance through the use of digital tools, specifically film. Her latest collaboration is a dance film titled Who is the Land, which has just finished showing at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. The film collaboration with choreographer Bethan Peters explored the cultivation of choreography in an environment of constant change, the UK coastline. Her collaborators include Trinity Laban, The Place, Roehampton University, Digital Theatre, Reactive Graphics, Ocean Outdoor, Canterbury Cathedral, Simon Ellis, Jia-Yu Corti, Emilyn Claid, Igor and Moreno and most recently Judita Vivas.