For Mr. Eric Werness and Mrs. Elizabeth Svoboda

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:43:33 -0700

The short film “The Solitude,” directed by Maggie Heaman, features dancers Keira Schwartz and Robert Raney in choreography by Dalia Rawson. Keira Schwartz’s work with the Rawson Project for the 2012-2013 Season will be sponsored by a generous donation from Mr. Erik Werness and Ms. Elizabeth Svoboda. This video is dedicated to Mr. Werness and Mrs. Svoboda in recognition of their kind sponsorhip.

"When people think of ballet, most will immediately think of performers in a studio or on a stage (often on a black box set), viewed from a fixed point of view, and at a fixed distance,” says Maggie Heaman about her film “The Solitude.” “I was interested in using the medium of video to show a ballet performance in a different way--a way that a live audience can't see it. I thought that "Solitudine," with two interesting characters in a simple yet compelling story arc, was an ideal piece of choreography for this exploration.”

"I wanted the story to unfold in a setting that helped to define the characters and theme. I thought that the characters should be nocturnal, like hunter and prey. I wanted them in a cavernous urban space that was vaguely industrial, yet had been forgotten by time. Then I chose set dressings that would provide an oasis of comfort within this threatening world, enhanced by the sound of rain falling at the beginning and end. During one take, a fire truck drove by outside the location where we were filming, and I happily took advantage of the flashing red lights in the window captured on video to bring back the feeling of danger when needed.”

"While editing the first scene, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that overlapping the action with itself created a feeling of days, months, or even years going by. I reused these techniques several times throughout the piece.”

"I used the camera to define the audience's relationship to the characters. The opening shot should give the viewer a sense of watching Keira's character clandestinely. The viewer is an intruder in her space, just as Robert's character is. A couple of times she makes eye contact with the camera/viewer--potentially confrontational, but in fact signaling her vulnerability.”

"I suspected that close-ups would complement the articulateness of the dancers' bodies, and I was not disappointed. The remarkable expressivity of Keira's close-ups cut straight to the heart of her character's emotions.”

"Thank you, Eric and Elizabeth, for helping make this project possible."

Video Tributes

For Mr. Eric Werness and Mrs. Elizabeth Svoboda