ABSTRACT
Visual Narrative, Chapter 3, whether literal or abstract, lies in the choreography, and echoes through the lighting. Collaborating with the choreographer, and other designers, light designers amplify aesthetic qualities of space, energy, rhythm, timing, and engage artistic intentions. Capturing nuances of the visual narrative is imperative. Commonality among all theatrical lighting and the differentiating lighting for dance are delineated. Lighting a play, designers illuminate areas of the stage; lighting dance, designers illuminate spatial pathways as dancers are often in perpetual motion. It is crucial to understand light’s plasticity, bending around lit objects, and that all objects, including performers, reflect light. Illustrating, the visual narrative of the dance Artifice is discussed. Ms. Scott demonstrates her use of lighting to accentuate the visual narrative of Section One, 0:06–5:13, of Artifice, introducing Mother Earth and the ensemble.
Further Reflections are by Mark Stanley, resident lighting designer for the New York City Ballet. Mr. Stanley highlights that visual narratives are not necessarily literal, invoking Balanchine’s plot-less ballets, and are essential to all contemporary dance lighting. Mr. Stanley explores the evolution of a “symbol” for the visual narrative of a dance through space, shape, time, color, contrasts, changes in movement, and how the dance ends.
