How to draw dance steps
How To Choreograph A Dance Routine In 6 Simple Steps
Are you wondering how to choreograph a dance routine? Or if you even can???
The answer is YES, YOU CAN! And you totally should.
Choreographing isn't just for professional dancers with tons of clout. It's a skill that anyone can learn with a little practice and inspiration. Not sure how to start? Just follow this handy 6-step guide and start creating!
Finding the right song could be the easiest or hardest part of choreographing.
Sometimes, you hear a song for the first time and you know, you just KNOW, that it's the one.
Other times, you browse through your entire iTunes library, SoundCloud dashboard, Spotify playlists, and still don't feel anything.
But once you have a song and pick out the section you want to choreograph to, listen to it...A LOT. And don’t just listen – listen with intent.
Look up the lyrics to see how you relate to the meaning of the song. Discover hidden hi-hats and riffs that you can highlight.
Note the "pathways" for movement you want to take – do you want to hit a certain lyric? Or that dope double bass? Visualize ideas as you listen.
You don't need to come up with concrete moves, but understand how you wanna move. And if you need to cut your music, do that first.
Having to wait or skip around to different parts of the song can interrupt the process.
Some tips for finding songs: Best Ways For Dancers To Find New Music
Yes, you can watch videos from your favorite choreographers and remix their routines, but to make something unique to you, try drawing inspiration from your own life and the culture around you.
Read thought-provoking books, watch beautifully shot movies, check out MET Gala costumes, and visit cool museums!
All forms of art can inspire and fuel your art. When you see something inspiring, write it down so you can come back to those ideas later.
Even something simple like an interesting conversation with a friend can turn into a dance choreography idea or a new dance move.
Already feeling inspired? Watch this video to learn how to turn those ideas and concepts into dance moves!
Freestyling doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to be using those exact moves in your piece. In fact, you probably won’t even remember a lot of what you did!
The point is to let your body respond to the music. Play the whole song and let yourself move. Notice how you naturally groove to certain sounds.
This will be the first "layer" in your choreography. You can then try variations or build more intricate movements on top of it.
Not sure how to start freestyling? Read this article for a few more tips: How to Freestyle Dance
And if you put on a song you really love, but still can't come up with any moves, check out this video!
Clay gives you tips for creating unique movements, even when you think you have choreo block.
You probably decided to choreograph to the song because you thought certain sections would look dope on the body.
Is it a climax? A breakdown? An instrumental interlude?
Whatever it is, start with that part. You don’t have to choreograph chronologically from beginning to end.
Start with the chunks that come easier, then build the rest of the choreography around it.
After you've choreographed your favorite chunks, make sure to give some love to those in-between sections!
Just because it’s not a crazy beat combo doesn’t mean it doesn’t have potential to look amazing.
Sometimes it’s those slower moments that are the most memorable. Check out this piece from Galen – it's all about her presence and demeanor.
Even her simple movements are engaging because she's filling those calmer moments with presence, before she goes off in a powerful combo.
A lot of us have the problem of making choreography that looks good in our heads... But not on our bodies. At that point, you just gotta train yourself.
Some refer to this as “cleaning” or “setting,” which involves perfecting certain pictures you make with your body, looking at pathways between points, or drilling quick combinations.
Check out this article to learn more about the cleaning process: How To Execute Choreography Better By Utilizing Your Body With Carlo Darang (Choreo Cookies)
And remember: How you choreograph will be how the piece looks. So when you choreograph a dance, do the moves full out.
For example, if you want a plié somewhere, really bend those knees. Let body rolls go all the way through your body. If you’re doing floorwork – get on the floor!
It's not going to magically look amazing when you perform on stage or in front of the camera.
Make it amazing as you're making it.
Watch this video to learn more about dancing full-out, in every moment.
There are probably moments within your piece that feel perfect to you. Don’t change those.
But the piece as a whole is probably a bit rough around the edges, especially if this is your first time choreographing.
As novelist Ernest Hemingway once said, “The first draft of anything is sh*t.”
So don’t worry if it’s not exactly what you wanted it to be. You can work your way there!
Do this by trying out variations of movements, scrapping some sections, changing directions, or adding floorwork – whatever you feel is necessary to “edit” the piece.
And honestly? That’s what makes creating so fun – trying things. Saying “Nope, not that,” or “YES oh my god, it worked!”
It’s supposed to take multiple drafts! Just keep editing until you’re done.
Of course, if you're a perfectionist, you might feel like your piece is never finished, but you gotta draw the line at some point.
While it’s awesome to try to keep improving your piece, there comes a point where you have to say “This is it. It's ready."
It's not about feeling like your piece is perfect. It's about making something that you feel proud to say you made. So when you're done, let it be.
Give yourself a pat on the back. Record the piece and share it with us via our STEEZY Studio members Facebook Group!
Thousands of dancers around the world are not only improving their dance skills on STEEZY Studio... they're joining our community and getting feedback from other dancers!
Click here to sign up for STEEZY ;)
Check out this video for a quick recap of this guide AND a few extra tips!
How to Draw Stick Figures Dancing
Learn how to draw a great looking Stick Figures Dancing with easy, step-by-step drawing instructions, and video tutorial.
You can now easily create a beautiful Stick Figures Dancing drawing.
Jump to the step-by-step instructions.
Anyone can draw a stick figure. Often, they are the first human characters a person learns to draw. But you can add some pizzazz to your stick figure art when you learn how to draw stick figures dancing!
What is a stick figure? A stick figure or a stickman is a simplified drawing of a person. It's not meant to look realistic.
Instead, it uses basic lines and shapes, like a circle for the head. The body and limbs are usually bare lines.
Scroll down for a downloadable PDF of this tutorial.
Did you know? Ancient art is often in the form of stick figures. For example, a stick figure known as a petroglyph can be seen at the Leo Petroglyph in the United States. It is thought to be about a thousand years old.
Stick figures are also used in signage because they are easy to understand, even if you don't speak or read the language.
For example, you can readily recognize the stick figures on men's or women's bathrooms, or the stick figure of a person in a wheelchair. That one is used to mean that a place is handicap accessible. Where would you place a sign with dancing stickmen?
Drawing Idea: You can use this stick figure drawing guide to enhance your drawing skills. Use it as a guide, and flesh out your characters with more detailed clothing and features. You can check out any of our people drawing guides for ideas.
If you liked this tutorial, see also the following drawing guides: Ghost, Body Outline, and Leprechaun.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing Stick Figures Dancing
How to Draw a Great Looking Stick Figures Dancing for Kids, Beginners, and Adults - Step 1
1. First, start by drawing a smiley face or happy face emoji. Complete a circle, and shade two ovals for eyes. Notice that we left a small circle unshaded to add light to the eyes. Then, use a curved line for the smiling mouth.
Easy Stick Figures Dancing Drawing - Step 2
2. Use curved lines to enclose a body shaped like a curved narrow trapezoid. Connect the head to the body with a short line, and extend a long line for the arm. Enclose a heart-like shape at the end of the line to form the hand.
Easy Stick Figures Dancing Drawing - Step 3
3. Extend a line for the remaining arm, and begin the hand using a spiral-shaped line. Then, extend a long line to form the leg.
At the bottom, enclose a pointed shape to indicate the high-heeled shoe.
Easy Stick Figures Dancing Drawing - Step 4
4. Draw the remaining leg and shoe. Then, extend curved lines from the head and connect them at the end with a curved line. This is the dancer’s hair.
Easy Stick Figures Dancing Drawing - Step 5
5. Begin drawing another face - a circle and two shaded oval eyes.
Easy Stick Figures Dancing Drawing - Step 6
6. Use curved lines to create an open, smiling mouth. Extend three short lines from the top of the head, indicating hair.
Draw the irregular round shape of the body, and connect it to the head with a short line. Then, draw the long line of the arm from the shoulder to the other dancer’s hand.
Easy Stick Figures Dancing Drawing - Step 7
7. Use a curved line to enclose the second dancer’s hand grasping the hand of the first. Extend long curved lines to form his arm and leg, and enclose the irregular shapes of the hand and foot.
Add More Details to Your Stick Figures Dancing Picture - Step 8
8. Draw the remaining leg and foot using a long line and a rounded shape. Then, draw a music note overhead. Draw two curved lines, and connect them with two parallel lines at the top. Shade an oval at the bottom of each line. That’s called a sixteenth note.
Complete the Outline of Your Stick Figures Dancing Drawing - Step 9
9. Draw more music notes to get the party started! Draw a quarter note - a line and a shaded oval - and an eighth note, a line and a shaded oval with a small triangle at the top.
Color Your Stick Figures Dancing Drawing
Color your cartoon dancers.
Easy, step by step Stick Figures Dancing drawing tutorialClick HERE to save the tutorial to Pinterest!
Stick Figures Dancing Drawing Tutorial - Easy & Fun Printable Pages
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The Art of Hearing the Dance: Practices of Foreign Schools of Audio Description / "Un Certain Regard"
Listen to the publication Tiflocommentary: color photograph.
The figure of a red-haired dancer frozen in a jump against the backdrop of the sea. She has lush red hair and a slender three-quarter body. The girl is wearing a short tight-fitting black top with a closed neck and bare shoulders, shorts and a long translucent black skirt fluttering in the wind. She lifts the edge of her skirt with straight outstretched arms. The dancer seems to be standing in the air on her left knee, her right leg is bent and raised high up. She tilted her head slightly and looked down.
"Dance is a poem, every movement in it is a word." This statement is attributed to the famous adventurer and dancer Margareta Gertrude Zella, whom the whole world knows under the name of Mata Hari. But the words of such a poem are not available to everyone. Already from the very definition of the word "dance" - the art of plastic and rhythmic movements of the body - it is obvious that vision plays a big role in its perception. What remains if you do not see the movements of the dancers? Music? Strained breathing? Rustle of clothes? The sound of footsteps? Can all this interest the viewer and give him pleasure?
Audio description (which in our country is called audio commentary) is a way to convey the beauty of dance to people who, for one reason or another, cannot see it.
Joel Snyder, one of the leading experts in this field, calls audio description a form of literary work and likens it to a haiku. With just a few words, the audio descriptor creates a verbal copy of the visual image, translates the visible into the audible. Bright, figurative words draw vivid pictures before the mind's eye of the listener.
“Dance is not just movement,” says Iris Permuy Hercules de Solas, audio descriptor for dance TV shows on a Spanish TV channel. “Dance conveys feelings and moods. This is artistic art. The dancer draws pictures with his whole body, creates ephemeral masterpieces that the audio descriptor must have time to consider and describe.
“The entire visible universe is movement,” said dance teacher and theorist Rudolf von Laban. To describe this movement to someone who does not see it is not an easy task. However, it is quite doable.
Anne Hornsby, one of the UK's first audio descriptions, has described many theater productions, including the famous Mamma Mia! and Les Misérables, believes that special choreographic education is not required: “Only the usual skills of verbal description are needed.
The ability to briefly, but figuratively express their thoughts; attentiveness and observation; the ability to convey the mood of the work; the ability to meet the allotted time - that's what really matters. At the same time, the soundscape and music cannot be drowned out – the viewer must hear their breathing.”
Do all dances need to be described? In the back of the hall, a barefoot girl is dancing a contemporary dance. She wears knee-high athletic trousers and a loose gray T-shirt. She stands on a straight right leg, the left straight leg is raised to the level of the waist and laid aside, the body is tilted to the opposite side, the right arm bent at the elbow is raised up, the left is wound behind the back. The operator shoots the girl's dance on a video camera.
If we are not talking about an independent dance production, but about an episode of a play or a film, then, on the advice of the leading specialist in audio description of dance, the author of the Talking Dance manual, Louise Fryer, you need to ask yourself an important question: what role does this dance play? Is it necessary for the development of the plot? Perhaps he somehow reveals the character of the characters? Maybe he tells about the relationship between the heroes of the production? Do these relationships change after or even during the dance? Or does the dance simply fill in a pause in the play so that the actors can change for the next scene? Does dance contribute to creating a certain atmosphere? For example, it can immerse us in a historical era.
During the same performance or film, we can see different types of dance that serve completely different purposes. The audio descriptor must understand the intent of the scriptwriter and director and, depending on this, choose a way to describe this or that dance. “The choreographer and director can help a lot by sharing their vision,” says Louise Fryer. “It’s also good to be present at the rehearsal.”
Photo: Tim Gouw
Tiflocommentary: seashore, cloudy sky and bright orange rays of the setting sun. Five girls dance on the platform, they run one after another in a circle: the left hand is raised up, the hand is turned with the palm to the sky, the right hand is bent at the elbow and directed forward with the palm away from you. All of them are in white corsets tightened on the back with thin straps. Four girls are wearing light long light skirts with a fluttering frill at the bottom, while the fifth girl is wearing a more fluffy light skirt with rows of frills along the entire length.
She rises high from quick movements, under the skirt of the dancer there are light tights with lace.
Audio description is a kind of translation (intersemiotic or intersemiotic, according to the classification of R.O. Jacobson). As Bruce Metzger wrote: “Translation is the art of choosing the right thing to lose.” These words fully apply to the description of the dance. Depending on its goals and the plot of the work, sometimes you need to focus on the technique of the dancers, sometimes on the costumes, sometimes on the behavior of the characters during the dance, and in some cases it is enough just to say that the characters are dancing without going into details, so how they can distract from the development of the plot.
The well-known film translator Aleksey Kozulyaev repeatedly emphasizes that the audio descriptor is part of the "collective author" of an audiovisual work, and each addresses the viewer in his own language: costume designers - in the language of costumes, the composer - in the language of music, actors - in the language of words, facial expressions and gestures, the director - in the language of images, etc.
All together they create a single work. The task of the audio descriptor is to merge into the structure of this collective author so that his “language” organically fits into the general choir.
It must be remembered that a person comes to a performance or a cinema to relax and enjoy. Therefore, you can not overload the viewer with an abundance of details. An overly detailed description can be accurate, but it also confuses viewers and distracts from the plot.
Choice of word
The dancers themselves say that when you dance for real, you involuntarily discover that you don't have enough words, and there are not enough concepts in any language of the world to convey your feelings. Isadora Duncan, for example, said: "If you could explain something in words, there would be no point in dancing it." No wonder they say that dance is like love: this state can be felt, but it is very difficult to describe.
“You need to create verbal pictures of the movements of the dancers,” says Ann Hornsby, “but in a way that does not sound like a dry description of physical exercises.
” Iris Permuy Hercules de Solas adds: "It takes a rich vocabulary to describe it colorfully, gracefully, energetically, sadly, just like the dance itself."
Tiflocommentary: color photograph. Scene. The dancer in a black suit stands with his back to the audience, his right leg is set aside on his toe, his left hand is extended to the dancer, who is flying back in a jump with her arms spread apart. She looks at the dancer and smiles broadly. She is wearing a white suit: a tutu with a flat skirt, a leotard with thin straps with golden embroidery in the center, white leggings and pointe shoes. The dancers are watched by performers dressed as villagers. In the depths of the stage, in the blue twilight, there are scenery with buildings and the silhouette of a tilted ship.
The choice of the right word is the most important moment in the description of the dance, according to all specialists. “For people who are far from choreography, the most terrible thing is the special terminology,” says Louise Fryer.
- Knowledge of professional terms will not hurt. Describing, say, architecture, we want to show the difference between the Norman arch from the Gothic or the Ionic order from the Corinthian. By the same logic, it is important for us to know whether this ballet rotation is a pirouette or not. Of course, not everyone may know what a pirouette is (although there may be experts in the auditorium), however, if we use a special term, we thereby emphasize that it is ballet on stage, and not ballroom dancing.
Anne Hornsby stresses that the meaning of the terms must be clarified. Sometimes, when describing a ballet, it is useful to make an introduction before it begins and explain there what the words “pirouette”, “arabesque”, “fuete”, etc. mean.
Ann Hornsby explains: “The meanings of some words are clear without explanation. However, if possible, brief explanations do not hurt. But what you should not do is just list professional terms and dance moves. The viewer simply does not have time to comprehend all this in a short time.
In addition, such a technical description will not say anything about the quality of the movement, its speed, the plot of the dance, the emotions of the hero and his motives.
Laban's movement analysis
The well-known choreographer, dance theorist, teacher Rudolf von Laban developed a movement analysis system that is still used today. He discovered that any dance step exists in four dimensions, or factors: space, time, dynamics and flow. Therefore, the process of motion analysis begins with finding out the following main points: where the motion occurs; why the movement occurs; how the movement occurs; What are the traffic restrictions? All this will help the audio descriptor to find the right words.
It is relatively easy to describe a dance that has a story. However, as von Laban noted, “modern dance may lack a clear story. It is often impossible to convey the content of the dance in words, although the movements themselves can always be described.
He further explains: “An actress playing the part of Eve can pick the forbidden fruit in different ways, while her movements will express different emotions.
She can seize the fruit greedily and quickly, or slowly and sensually. But when we describe movement as “greedy,” “sensual,” or “dispassionate,” we are not really talking about what we see. The viewer at this moment sees a fast and sharp or slow and sliding movement of the hand. And already the imagination interprets the actions of Eve as greedy or sensual.
Joel Snyder notes that von Laban is essentially referring to the fundamental principle of audio description: "Describe only what you see." “It's important to be precise,” Snyder explains, “but the description needs to be alive so that the listener paints the picture in their own mind. You need to be objective, using precise and figurative words, while avoiding interpretation. That is, our Eve “plucks an apple with a sharp, impetuous movement of her hand,” and not “with a mixed expression of greed and guilt on her face.”
Tiflocommentary: color photograph. Light walls, gray door, padlocked. To the left, a diagonal of a metal staircase with a railing rises up.
Halfway up, a ballerina in a black leotard with lace-trimmed straps and a cutout at the chest. She stands on her right leg, with her right hand extended forward, holding on to the parapet, her left leg and left arm raised at an angle of 45 degrees and laid parallel back. The body is turned towards the viewer, the back is strongly concave. Her hair is pulled back into a bun, and on her feet are flesh-coloured pointe shoes.
Dance is the language of tradition
Description of traditional dances is a separate line of audio description. Dr. Doning Liang of the Hong Kong Audio Description Association has extensive experience in describing Chinese dances, in particular the famous Lion Dance. One of the difficulties is that completely different people will listen to the description: both those who are familiar with this dance and those who hear about it for the first time.
“I'm not just describing the dance,” says Doning, “I'm sort of acting as a teacher for blind people.
The Lion Dance is one of the world's most famous performances of Chinese traditional culture. Everyone should have the opportunity to learn more about him.”
Rudolf von Laban stated: "Everything that happens in the theater is not limited to what is happening on the stage and in the auditorium: between these two poles there is a continuous flow of magnetism." But what if this interaction between the stage and the audience is interrupted because the audience cannot fully perceive the action taking place? Audio description is a way to restore the lost connection and redirect this flow of energy from the actor to the viewer.
Sony Alpha professional Vlad Shutov tells how to shoot a hustle dance
Photographing dances, or How to achieve emotional filling in the frame
Vladimir Neskoromny
Editor-in-Chief of alphapro.sony.ru
Dancing is extremely difficult to shoot. To the uninitiated, it will seem that once - and it's ready. Loud music, bright costumes, beautiful plastic movements.
It seems to be a real treasure for a photographer of any level, especially a beginner. A bottomless source of brilliant and super-selling shots. Sit, press the shutter and create masterpieces. In practice, after the very first frames, disappointment sets in - a terrible mess. Where are the hands? Where are the legs? Where is all the beauty? Amateurs complain about the lack of professional high-aperture optics, and professionals ... just complain.
Dance culture has always been present in our country, but it was mainly represented by three directions: sports ballroom dancing, folk dances and “something incomprehensible” at discos of any level. In the early 1990s, the so-called. western currents, the older generations began to get involved in this area, which previously, for some incomprehensible reasons, was indecent to dance. So the direction of social dances - social dance was formed.
Previously, we associated dancing mainly with the "sports ten", and if you did not get into dancing "at the age of six", then at any other age "it will be too late.
" Social dancing at 19The 90s brought about a real revolution. It turned out that you can dance at any age, and it turns out beautifully, spectacularly. For many aged 20-30 years, this was a real discovery. Salsa, bachata, merengue, milonga, mambo, Argentine tango, flamenco - the names made me dizzy, dance studios opened in batches, information platforms were full of announcements: "We are recruiting ...".
Hustle in this situation took a special position. Among social dances, it became universal, as it could be danced to almost any fast music, while salsa and bachata, for example, required special Latin American melodies. Hustle has evolved into a universal disco couples dance.
Dribbling in pairs, basic movements and figures reminiscent of jive, which is included in the sports ten. In fact, the hustle can be considered as a lightweight jive. Hustle is presented as an easy dance to learn. Indeed, this is so, but only at the initial stage, when the study of basic (simple) figures takes place.
Then everything is much more complicated - complex figures, complex interaction in pairs, supports. That is why so many ballers come to the hustle. They have a good preparation, and they grasp quickly. Hustle has room for creativity, and hustle parties don't have picky judges.
All of this has made the Hustle a unique source of amazing filming. Dynamic movements, quick change of figures, a storm of emotions - the photographer only has to keep track of what is happening. But how does an amateur start photographing a hustle?
For example, in Moscow there are several hustle parties every week. And not only on weekends, but also on weekdays. For starters, you can just visit such a disco without photographic equipment in order to understand what a hustle is in general. It will be easier for female photographers, because experienced partners, as soon as they realize that they are new, will immediately begin to train them. But young people should not be discouraged either. Come up, ask to show the basic movements.
In one and a half to two hours, you can fully learn the basics and enjoy the dance even at such an initial level.
When you leave the dance hall, you will most likely realize that it is basically unrealistic to arrange long-term photography here, and even with professional equipment (or semi-pro). Without a flash there is nothing to do, but with a flash you will be like a white crow. What to do?
A few years ago, hustle lovers began to hold their impromptu discos on Pushkinskaya Embankment of the Moscow River, in the open air (open-air). For citizens and guests of the capital, this has become an unusual phenomenon. After all, earlier you could only meet people dancing in the open air in Sokolniki Park. But there are sedentary pensioners, and here young people do such things in public ... Real "dirty dancing".
Untitled. From the project "Dance Relations"
Untitled. From the Dance Relations project. 1/1600 s, f/2.8, f=155mm, ISO 1600, auto white balance; May, around 9 pm, distance 7 m
Untitled.
From the Dance Relations project. 1/800 s, f/2.8, f=200mm, ISO 6400, manual white balance; August, around 3 pm, distance 2.60 m
Untitled. From the Dance Relations project. 1/640 s, f/2.8, f=123mm, ISO 2000, manual white balance; May around 9pm
Untitled. From the project "Dance Relations"
Untitled. From the Dance Relations project. 1/500 s, f/2.8, f=200mm, ISO 4000, manual white balance; June, around 9 pm
Untitled. From the Dance Relations project. 1/500 s, f/2.8, f=200mm, ISO 4000, manual white balance; June, around 9 pm
Untitled. From the Dance Relations project. 1/640 s, f/2.8, f=125mm, ISO 6400, manual white balance; August around 8 pm
Untitled. From the project "Dance Relations"
Untitled. From the Dance Relations project. 1/800 s, f/3.2, f=200mm, ISO 1250, manual white balance; July, around 9 pm
All people can probably be divided into two categories. For those who can and love to dance, and for those who can't and don't like to dance.
We will not engage in detailed psychoanalysis, but the fact remains. The most brutal men often come to dances. Of course, the initial motive can be the elementary “let’s go and get to know each other.” But then they start to dive into the dance and... stay in it. By analogy with the saying "many men, but one career", we can say "dance partners come and go, but the dance career remains." In short, the paradigm is changing. They begin to look not just for a girl, but for the one who dances the best. And then they just look for the best partner.
Verbal languages are fairly well studied. The visual language, which has recently been used more and more actively by people, is only being mastered. The body language that dancers use can be called unlearned.
That is why when we look at (well) dancing couples, we stand spellbound and cannot understand what exactly we like, what is happening there...
And we are impressed by the emotions that dancers express through body movements ( body movements) in dance.
And returning to the expression "dirty dancing", which became winged after the release at 1987 year of the film "Dirty Dancing" with the participation of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, we note that the word "dirty" here does not mean "vulgar", but precisely "emotional". Real dances are "the dirtiest".
Discos on Pushkinskaya Embankment of the Moscow River are unique in that there is no need to pay for a spectator ticket. Come and see as much as you want. The photographer does not need to ask permission to shoot. The dancers know that they can be photographed, but this does not bother them at all. The perfect place. There is no entrance and exit, no walls and ceiling. Public place. Everything that happens to a person here cannot be a “secret of private life”. You can take pictures safely, there is no violation of privacy.
It's another matter if a photographer deliberately shoots the same couple for several hours, days, weeks, or even months. Such actions can be regarded as "collecting information about private life", which is already prohibited by law.
However, an adequate person will not bring the matter to such suspicions, but will choose the moment to approach the couple, introduce themselves and agree on everything.
Vlad Shutov first appeared on Pushkinskaya Embankment a few years ago with a rather simple goal - to film traffic. The very first experiments showed that in order to obtain the desired result, it was necessary to understand what, in fact, was happening on the dance floor. I had to devote some time to studying the movements, figures, trajectories of the couples. As a result, he was able to predict this or that movement with some degree of probability and wait for the couple to fill the frame with the desired compositional solution. Of course, not everything worked out perfectly, but the direction was chosen correctly, it only remained to consistently move forward.
The main thing is that Vlad Shutov was hooked by the amazing emotions that arise in a dance couple. Then the idea of the project “Dance Relations” (“Relationships in dance”) was born, which continues to this day.
Vlad tried to convey not the exact technique of movements and performance of figures, but the emotional content that is present in the pair, which, in the end, gives the audience the feeling of a “dirty dance”.
Over time, Vlad Shutov began to pay more attention to close-ups - portraits. I shot with a shallow depth of field (f / 2.8-3.5) to separate the subjects from the background. Long focus (f = 150-200 mm) with a small distance to the object (3-5 m) required the use of spot focusing, tracking autofocus and continuous shooting mode (2-3-4 frames). The shutter speed was set from 1/400 to 1/1000 s.
As a rule, the dancers start gathering not earlier than seven o'clock in the evening; It is necessary to watch when the couples, having warmed up, begin to literally light up. It is important not to miss these dancers, because their rise can last several tunes depending on their physical condition, after which they will slow down, go to rest, or even go home.
Of course, it's better to stay inconspicuous (telephoto!).
On the one hand, why show the couple that you are filming them, on the other hand, it is very easy to destroy the intimate atmosphere. Dancers will either start to get embarrassed (beginners) or, conversely, start working for a photographer (advanced level). Believe me, some do it very well, because there is a practice of competition. And you can mistake theatrical pretense for sincere emotions. In both cases, naturalness will be lost.
Well, if you decide to open up, then calmly approach, introduce yourself and negotiate. Dancers are friendly people, they love photographers because they want to get really good pictures of their couple. The masterpieces in their portfolio can be counted on the fingers. So they usually agree.
Any other advice? Vlad Shutov recommends that you carefully monitor the lighting. Evening sun, artificial lighting - the change happens quickly. During shooting, he uses only manual exposure mode, he tries not to rely on automatics.
You can take pictures of dances in Moscow on Pushkinskaya embankment endlessly, and you will always get different results.
