On October 24th 2020, artistic director Alexjandra Bodnarchuk and her artistic team premiered Heritage Sites, a dance film set on location in a warehouse in St.Paul.
Bodnarchuk explains in a Q&A how this film deals with owning one’s body and everything that comes with it-whether in water or in a space where others witness it. Various gestures were explained in details like the hands on the torso symbolic for maternity and the after effects and weight gain or loss. There’s great vulnerability and honesty in the discussion and how dancers view their bodies and how each one of us can release the shame that society places on the body.
In the beginning, hands are placed on the torso, and sounds of splashing inside a bathtub pick up in pace as each dancer explores what movement in water signifies to them. Dancer Sarah McCoulough holds her head under water which is supposed to demonstrate a fear of water she held as a child.
Cinematographer Arlo Myren’s camera work creates a world that is unfettered and unconcerned with glamorizing dance. In the middle of the film, everyone’s hands are up and the camera zooms in on each dancer, their fists formed in a fight pose, eventually they slap their thighs and do arabesques. Flipping their hair forward, it covers their eyes and the effect reminds me of the film The Grudge (2004).
Artistic Associate, Brandon Anderson Musser’s soundtrack layers in the live sound over a supportive musical landscape that amplifies the vulnerability of the dancers’ performance. The pacing picks up as cinematographer replaces one dancer with another so that it appears as one entity. Dancers scratch and jerk at their wet shirts, and the anxious movements show a struggle with an immovable force. There’s a feeling of anxiety and shame, many of the dancers are without pants. And they transition from tub to floor like dead fish until they start flapping erratically.
Then everyone stands fourteen feet apart and move together in synchronized modern dance moves, including pivots, twists and falls. One can hear rapid feet thudding on the floor and become accustomed to the rhythm and pace of the sound effects that crescendo until they release. The ending shows the dancers flipping their hair back and heaving themselves to the ground with their hands in the same pose that they begin with-holding their torso. We're left with a more powerful image reflective of how the society should value the body.
“We rehearsed in parks, parking lots, checked in, talked, videoed, took extra precautions,” said Bodnarchuk in July. “The pandemic won’t be over for a while, and if there’s anything I learned from doing this project is that artists need to work.”
There will be another viewing of Heritage Sites on November 7th . Bodnarchuk and her team appreciates any additional contribution as they are in a $6,500 deficit. They hope to continue to create work and equitably support those in the process. Tickets at: http://alexandrabodnarchuk.org/premiere, $20 suggested ticket price (additional Pay-As-Able prices available)
