Matters of Movement
By Jess Hu & Louisa Meng
Creative Director JESS HU // Photographer LOUISA MENG // Video HUMAN ANIMAL // Words by KIRSTEN NICHOLAS // Stylist SHAOJUN CHEN // Hair DARINE SENGSEEVONG // MUA ARIELLA PARK // Casting IN/FORM X JR-X // Producer ANJELICO FLORENDO // Graphic Designer ADAM RIDGEWAY // Lighting MICHAEL CAMACHO // Digital Technician HUNTER PAO
“where I see dance culture going…A place where we don’t have to fit into an extreme and we can exist as this in-between space - just as any other art form.”
Louisa Meng
Finding the “in-between” in Matters of Movement
Words MIRANNE WATLEY
Matters of Movement is a photo book, short film, and audio exhibition released in collaboration with the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Final. The work features eight dancers who each embody a distinct style of dance - Hip Hop, Flexin, Afro Fusion, Krump, House, Popping, Waacking, and Chicago footwork. Matters of Movement takes you into the dancer’s inner world before a battle. The mindset necessary for competition. Jess wanted to represent this preparation as she felt it was often “overlooked”. “We see someone in their final form, competing... we don’t see the process before”. Through Jess’ creative direction and Louisa’s photography, the dancer’s internal landscape is beautifully manifested.
The nuances of this project are as varied as the cast. Matters of Movement sits at the intersection of the internal and external. It explores how dance can simultaneously be an individual experience while celebrating the community of dance battles (Red Bull Dance Your Style is, undoubtedly, an important commercial platform for the freestyle dance community). Through the mixture of media, it spotlights both the body and the mind. The body as the subject of the photographs, and the mind as the intention behind the project and through the audio. The photography also features the unique layering of stillness and motion. They are static images implying infinite movement. The project’s power lies in its ability to honour these dichotomies at the same time.
Matters of Movement combines the work of a range of communities (fashion, music, photography, and film) and emphasises the importance of dance in all of these spheres. Jess and Louisa hope that this project will prompt the introduction of dance into new spaces. “Dancers aren’t only artists, but they’re athletes, and even poets”. After meeting through college dance, both Jess and Louisa have worked on a variety of projects. Most recently, Louisa shot for the (much loved) GAP ad with KATSEYE and Jess released her song, Gravity, with an accompanying music video. Always capturing the magic of the arts, Jess and Louisa sat down with MOVES to talk about Matters of Movement and how they see the dance community evolving alongside other creative industries.
When did you get the idea for this project?
Jess: I had the name Matters of Movement written in a deck I made four years ago. I wanted to carve out a space that showed the depth of movement as well as the discipline, dedication, and passion of dancers.
Louisa: I think her story of connecting with Red Bull is also really interesting. She met Min, who’s the Director of Communications for dance at Red Bull, and sparked a lightbulb for him.
Jess: Now that Louisa reminded me, it did come from a very interesting time in my life. Two years ago, I was working part time at an outdoor supply store, which is where I met Min. During the pandemic, I had shot 25 New York dancers in black and white and written bios for them - representing their distinct styles. I showed that to Min when he came into the store. Fast forward two years later, and he asked me to make a similar book for Red Bull. The book will almost act as an itinerary for the battles and highlight some of the styles in the competition.
How did you select the dancers?
Jess: We wanted to dial in on eight distinct dance styles with so much culture and depth: Hip Hop, House, Afro Fusion, Waacking, Popping, Chicago Footwork, Krump, and Flexin. And we wanted to commemorate the people that have proudly evolved through the dance styles. So we chose them to represent their truest form. I think that’s why this platform could be a recurring event… we can continuously highlight different dance styles.
How much of the movement did you direct, and how much was left up to the dancers?
JESS: I gave them a general script. The introduction included walking and looking at the space, almost in a meditative state. And then I told them to gradually dance harder. We have a huge industrial fan so I said ‘once the fan goes off, also go off’ to really embody the energy that they have when they’re battling. If we wanted to capture a certain moment we would tell them to repeat it, but, for the most part, it was pretty fluid. We also made it very sonically customised. We gathered everyone’s playlists so they could really get into their zone.
How did the personality of the dancers inform both the photos and the short film?
LOUISA: Everyone carried a different energy, so it was about capturing those nuances and giving them space to breathe. You have to be very aware and honour what the dancers are giving you, because it comes from a place that they also want to represent in a raw and authentic way.
I remember Fin (who does the Chicago Footwork) said ‘I’m about to go and then I have to stop after ten seconds’. His movement is so hyperactive and fast he had to go all out. I could really feel that energy while I was shooting with him. With Hooliboy, I felt like I was partying. His movements are very specific to Afro style but it also comes through in the expressions and emotions on his face.
Each one was so unique. I was on cloud nine. It felt more like a documentary - being able to capture things alongside the dancers rather than composing it.
JESS: Louisa did an amazing job, too, of understanding which shots to take, as there are focal points of each dance style. If it was waacking, for example, we shot from the top and got all of the different hand gestures. With Krumping or Flexin there was a lot of tension in the muscles to focus on.
BTS Shot by Marina Oya
What did you find especially rewarding about working together as friends and as two female creative leads?
JESS: I never imagined I would be on set with so many of my friends, especially my best friend. It felt like the Avengers! We are underrepresented and, specifically, the fact that it was Asian American women producing at this scale was very meaningful. I definitely felt empowered and I truly want the women in the industry to feel empowered through the project too.
LOUISA: It also shows through the final product… there is a feminine expression to it. We were showing dance through a lens that was not so literal or aggressive, when typically this dance form does feel to be more on the masculine side. It helped to have a lot of women in director positions doing that.
Jess: There is a masculine energy and an external essence - a competitive form of ego - to battling but, with the more feminine touch, we were able to highlight the internal workings and emotions of the dancers. It was about that duality.
What effect do you hope the accompanying audio will have on the short film?
JESS: I’ve always wanted to pair spoken word with dance because I want to give dance a voice. Maybe this is more of a personal experience, but I initially gravitated towards dance because I didn’t have to say anything and it was a safe space to just do. As I’ve grown in the industry, and as a person, I’ve realized words are very powerful. In some ways, the poetry is me reclaiming my voice. Also, empowering other dancers to speak about their experiences.
LOUISA: The audio created a much fuller and deeper expression. You can also tell it is lacking in dance as there was so much built-up emotion behind the interviews. Artists aren’t often asked to talk about what dance means to them, so I was very touched by that part.
The dancers focus is shifted away from the lens. Why did you want to capture the photos in this way?
Louisa: We wanted it to feel more organic. Capturing them in a moment that wasn’t too performative. During the shoot, Jess was there to keep reminding them not to look into the camera.
There’s something about not looking into the camera that shares a more vulnerable or transparent state.
The photography was also very personal to each dancer. We had a huge softbox above the stage, and so I had the idea to leave the colours moving as I shot. Or there were some dance styles that were really powerful when I captured the motion blur through the lens. So I got to shoot in a way I never normally do… I experimented and improvised.
This project combines the individual journey of the dancer as well as the collective community of dance battles. For you, has dance been an individual or collective art?
JESS: I think it’s both. When I first moved to Seattle, I was heavily involved in the dance scene. It was my initial introduction into understanding what it’s like to have a chosen family. I then moved to New York to pursue dance full time. Everywhere I went I had a home because of the dance community. I don’t battle anymore, but there is always an amazing community. Even with this project, at the end of the shoot we ended up ciphering with the dancers. It was, both literally and metaphorically, very full circle.
But, like with anything you love, there’s the journey of growing out of it or taking a break and then re-entering with a new point of view. There is individual growth within the community. Dance has been in my life for almost 20 years. From teaching, to competing, to choreographing, to taking a step back and now coming back with creative directing. It’s been a wild journey.
LOUISA: I think it’s interesting to see our trajectories as two people who started as dancers. I have now turned to photography, which can be very individualistic, but how I express myself and how I connect with people still sometimes has this dancer’s spirit. I really appreciate feeling like dance is now coming back into my life as I work as a photographer.
And the dance community has grown so much from when me and Jess were young dancers. I think it has become way more accepting of individuals that want to push dance outside of the pre-existing moulds.
I really think dance is the most exciting art form right now and has experienced the most rapid evolution. It’s dance’s time.
How do you hope this project changes conversations dance battles and, more generally, dance?
JESS: I hope it unites different pillars of art. It’s so important that fashion communities or music communities are getting to see dance. I’m excited to have these worlds meld so dance isn’t as isolated.
It’s also interesting when I go to parties but no one is dancing. I want more people dancing. There’s such a stark line between dance and the other arts and we want to merge the two so that everyone feels more comfortable to just be in their body and dance.
LOUISA: In the past, dance has either been commercialized on a huge stage or incredibly underground and niche. I think it’s really exciting to have this event provide an in-between space. And that’s where I see dance culture going. A place where we don’t have to fit into an extreme and we can exist as this in-between space - just as any other art form.