I have always loved photography. For me, photographs are the moments frozen in time. When looking at a still image, I am captivated by its power. How could this power have such a great impact on the audience? I think the audience themselves are actually the ones who give life to the still images. The notion of photographic truth is to capture motion in stillness. Motion and stillness is in fact, a relative concept, or perhaps it just depends on the position and perspective of the observer. The way I see it, isn’t cinematography choreographing lights and shadows? Then isn’t the lights and shadows in itself a dance? So, for me, ‘Jumping Frames’ has a crucial role in providing an alternative approach to experience dance. In the cinema, on a flat screen, in a specific time and space, I wish the audience could experience the same ephemeral performativity of this year’s festival selections as of a dance performance, and feel the dance within.
How do you appreciate dance? Perhaps it’s your physical participation or to allow the resonance of your souls. Ask yourselves if the images affect your emotions? Is there something that moves you from inside out or outside in? I firmly believe that every body and soul has their own dance. Film doesn’t necessarily have to be narrative centric and dance doesn’t necessarily have to be performed on stage……The moving image is more than just images, it’s more than the body, it’s more than time. It’s about sentiments and if it touches your heart. Perhaps that’s the real meaning of motion pictures – that moves you.
Yuri Ng
Artistic Director, CCDC
