A single blob floats in darkness, multiplying and recombining with others. The luminous lumps grow and grow until they form and separate into the alien dancers of Ora.
VIFF features many films on dance (including the relatively
conventional Mike Figgi’s The Co(te)lette Film (photo below) that was featured with Ora), but Ora is a completely different one.
Security scanning technology from Lockheed Martin was used to process the mostly nude dancers into glowing organisms. Thermal imaging transforms the heat of the body into light, minimizing human features, giving the body an otherworldly appearance. Ghostly heat signatures of their bodies are left behind as the dancers roll on the black ground. The slow movement and blank features of the dancers resemble some futuristic butoh performances.
This is dance for the 21st century, enhanced and made possible by the highest technology. Ora is a completely new vision not to be missed.
Willis Wong
Ora
Canada, 2011
Directed by Phillipe Baylaucq
ORA, Philippe Baylaucq, provided by the National Film Board of Canada