Shall we dance?
An experienced ballroom dancer who believes in "dancing his own steps" and a beginner, take on the Australian Pan Pacific Championships to show the
Ballroom Confederation that there are new steps.
Strictly Ballroom was released in 1992 and is the first film in Luhrmann’s Red Curtain trilogy. It was the first film ever directed by Baz Luhrmann, and it was with this film that he established his unique style.
The opening for the Red Curtain trilogy was established by this film. The opening of the films consist of a red curtain being opened much like one would in a live theatre performance. As per Baz Luhrmann’s style, it makes it clear to the viewer that they are watching a performance and not a slice of real life.
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As all the films in the Red Curtain Trilogy, ‘Strictly Ballroom’ centralizes on a specific theatre motif. In this film Luhrmann explores the device of Dance, he emphasizes this by the use of specific camera movements in reflection to what is occurring on screen.
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This then contrasted by the fast and erratic movements of the characters in the Latin dance scene. Luhrmann has the camera movements reflect Scott’s erratic dancing and movements by changing the pacing of the shots to long continuous shots of him, and quick cuts to capture the reactions of the bystanders as it moves freely around the
Merce Cunningham was known as a “leader of the American avant-garde whose constant innovation and artistic collaborations expanded the frontiers not only of dance, but also of contemporary visual and performing arts”. His passion and drive to succeed and push boundaries of dance and technology helped him throughout his career and in the building of his own dance establishment, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. He also worked closely with the composer John Cage, where together they created different, new music. He was one of the most daring choreographers of his time regarding the exploration of technology in dance. He had begun to look into dance film in the 70’s, and further started to choreograph new dances using a computer program named ‘Dance Forms’. He also further created a webcast series where the public were able to view his teaching in the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and could essentially sit in on the rehearsals
Even though both films are highly reviewed, they both follow the same plot, but then have some major and minor differences. Herbert Ross and Craig Brewer directed an outstanding dancing film, that most American’s like looking at the reviews of the
From the reading, I was most interested in the section regarding ballet training. The text states the recommended age for ballet training is eight years old. I truly thought this was crazy because I started ballet at three years old. The text also explains that children who are preparing for ballet classes typically wear soft glove slippers on their feet to allow them to get used to the feeling of Pointe shoes. When I first began ballet class, my instructor encouraged us to purchase ballet shoes until we were ten years old. At the age of ten, we were given the option to begin using Pointe shoes. I remember I was so excited to get my first pair of Pointe shoes because I thought they were stunning and graceful, until my feet began to bleed.
My first choice was a ballet piece named La Sylphide. La Sylphide is a story about a young Scottish man named James who is soon to be wed. He falls asleep and has an intricate dream about a beautiful sylphide, which is a spirit. In his dream they dance and he soon falls in love with the sylphide. When he awakes, he soon forgets about the sylphide and focuses on his fiancée.
“Strictly Ballroom” is a unique film created by Australian, Baz Luhrmann to comedically represent competitive ballroom dancing. The film Strictly Ballroom was directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann, screenplay was written with the help of Craig Pearce and Andrew Bevel. This film was Baz Lohmann’s debut movie after finding success in theatre. Strictly Ballroom was set in Sydney, during the early 90s. Consequently, there are many diverse aspects to this film however, one that stands out is the theme of “family relationships and conflict”, which is present in this film through costume, language and camera angles.
The famous Australian director that is Baz Luhrmann has a modern cinematic eye, therefore always evolving, keeping up with the modern generation and most importantly writing for the modern generation. “The Great Gatsby” and “Strictly Ballroom” depicts the constant changing and conforming along with the development of music and fashion.
Not only does Tony’s dancing accentuate his violent energy, but it also accentuates the quirks of the other dancers in the 2001 Odyssey. All of these people seem to be possessed by vitality and pride, yet Tony is clearly depicted as being better than most, if not all, of his peers. Everyone’s dancing is fluid yet strictly choreographed, showing how much these dancers, who feast on style and arrogance, can’t afford to be sloppy.
The women who exert the greatest influence on the life of Scott Hastings are Sherley Hastings, Fran and Yaya (Frans grandmother), this will be explored with reference to the film strictly ballroom as a whole.
Scott’s character traits are thought-provoking and through his use of dialogue and how Luhrmann uses camera angles, we can track his journey from being cowardly and manipulated to courageous, passionate and confident in expressing his indathy for other charay. Dialogue conveys the majority of the plot-line, providing texture and a deeper insight into Scott. We see evidence of Scott’s rebellion when Liz is angry with his unruly dance moves presented in the Waratah Competition and screams “I’m not dancing with you till you dance like you’re supposed to”. The dialogue indicates Scott’s rebellious quality as it tells us that to express his individuality, he had to break the rules. Low angle shots and medium shots aid Scott’s confident, strong and rebellious persona, adding a dominant and ominous effect, making him seem powerful when looking up at him. Consequently, the audience feels vulnerable and small during his rebellious acts and feel empathy for other characters. Medium shot displays the characters face, expressions and body language to viewers and their interaction between other characters. These camera angles, display confidence and the potential of disobedience, and rebellion, a trait in Scott’s personality. These aspects/angles are seen during and after Scott and his partner, Fran dance at the Pan Pacifics. In this case, their purpose would be to draw attention to the couple’s rebellion rather than what is going around them. Through Scott’s rebellion, Luhrmann believes that people rebel because they want to emphasise/support themselves forcefully in their fearful thoughts and attitudes. The more done, the more violent they’ll become in their actions that stop them from doing what they want or must do. Therefore, Luhrmann believes that dialogue and camera angles best showcase Scott’s rebellion towards the “correct” dance
The long take shots and lack of close ups create a fluid visual style and continuous environment that adds to this realistic feel. Andre Bazin argues that the coming of sound film made viewers more passive as they were now getting the director’s vision rather than their own. However, he claims that deep-focus cinematography creates more ambiguity and consequently a more active viewing experience. The elaborate masquerade party thrown in celebration of Jurieux’s success is an excellent example of the active viewing experience Renoir created in the film. Through camera movement and minimal cutting, Renoir takes advantage of the entire space of the estate and fills the frame with action in the fore, middle, and background. An underlying theme throughout The Rules of the Game was its scathing critique of both the aristocracy and society more generally, and this sequence not only critiques the exorbitant lifestyle of the wealthy, but also the working class’s attempts to imitate their superiors. The sequence begins with a play put on by several guests. Renoir allows the audience to entirety of room during the play by first panning to left of the stage and then zooming out as the frame displays a collection of guests seated in chairs, as well as additional guests along the back
In “The Great Gatsby” and “Strictly Ballroom” directed by Baz Luhrmann, it is evident that he is fond of outlandish visuals and intense music woven thought the movie. In both films, “The Great Gatsby” and “Strictly Ballroom”, characterization and symbolism are key features that Baz Luhrmann uses in order to grasp the audience and enhance the meaning and effect of his films, and how his techniques developed throughout the years.
In particular, Scott battles to comply with the restrictions of ballroom dancing and this becomes evident when Scott begins to dance his own steps in the dance studio as Les’ voice resonates in his head saying “to pick what was actually wrong with the steps, you have to be an experienced professional like myself”. This conveys Scott’s refusal to comply with the ballroom dancing world, and demonstrates his longing to be different. This is strengthened through the use of lighting, which stresses his unique dance steps, and also segregates him at times. Scott moves all through the spotlight, demonstrating the inner conflict he is experiencing as he struggles to find his sense of self. He substitutes between two identities: a ballroom dancer that follows the federations requirements in the spotlight, and a person who needs to walk out on the structure of ballroom dancing and be who he wants to be, but is restrained in the shadows. His steps portray his desire to reject the similarity of the ballroom dancing world and grasp his individuality and
When the lights come up the audience is immediately thrown into an old and dingy movie theatre complete with popcorn strewn across the floor. It is within this set that deep social commentary is made throughout the
Film techniques are used extremely effectively in Strictly Ballroom by the director Baz Luhrman. Costume and makeup, camera angles and lighting and also character behaviours were used to influence the portrayal and development of all of the main characters. Without these film techniques, Strictly Ballroom could not have been made into a film as entertaining as it is and the characters personalities and development would not have been portrayed.
Dancing is a beautiful form of expression that reveals a good deal about a person in a matter of minutes. Characters that dance in plays and novels usually flash some sort of underlying meaning pertaining to their story, shining light on themselves, other characters, and the movement of the action. In Ibsen's A Doll's House, Nora's performance of the tarantella summarizes the plot of the entire play.