“Tides” is an innovative dance film project with a female perspective at its core. It aims to shed light on the heightened vulnerability that women often experience under societal scrutiny. This artful endeavor involves the intricate folding of the human body into diverse spaces, serving as a powerful means of expression and resistance against insecurity and chronic oppression. A bunch of art festivals and exhibitions select this film. Maggie Allesee Choreography Award Competition， Dance Camera West, Indie Short Festival， Video Art and Experimental Film， Big Syn International Film Festival， Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival， Florence Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition, Art week Italia di Santa Maria Del Fiore, InShadow-Lisbon Screendance Festival, London Temporal Collision, Sohu Short Film Award Ceremony, Shanghai Dance Festival, Xiamen Art Exhibition.
Interviewer: As a director, how did you balance the visual effects of the image, the rhythm of the music, and the performances of the dancers during the creation of “Tides”?
Ginny: In the initial thought, the concept and imagery over structure or choreography were settled. The music evolved through various versions during editing, with the final choice offering non-order and ample expressive room. I preset the movement, but much remained improvised to avoid limiting the dancer’s freedom. This approach allowed me to both disrupt and maintain elements of dance coherence. Dance and experimental imagery and film composition should transcend a dance performance. The body serves as a medium for expression rather than a stiff storytelling or performance.
Interviewer: As a performer, how do you use your body language to convey the relationship with nature, individuality, and space? Were these physical movements pre-planned or improvised?
Ginny: The body, for us as dance artists, is our tool; It’s the medium through which I express “myself.” Space, to me, is the gap between my body and “myself,” an energy repository that offers a sense of security. The contradictions between people require an internal space and time for digestion. In the film, nature serves as a backdrop, which can be understood as a grand context reflecting social and political phenomena—a juxtaposition to my internal space. As for the dance movements, there are both improvisational and pre-choreographed elements. Body language serves not only as an expression but also as a presentation. It responds to what is happening in the current societal context that we cannot ignore. The body generates energy, both physically and visually. Without folding, my body forms a triangle from my head to my arms, and if you place a triangle within a circle, it will naturally appear sharper. What I do is create, present, and cultivate energy.
