My final project is a series of dance phrases choreographed by me and danced by me and my friend Leah Messinger, a sophomore. The intent of my project is to portray myself as the past, Beloved, and Leah as the future, Denver. The song I used is titled "Spring" and was originally composed by Vivaldi, however, for my project I used a version by Max Richter. I chose this song in particular not only because I like the way it went with the phrases, but also because the season "spring" is often associated with birth and transformation just as Beloved incorporates the transformation of Denver as she grows from a young and shy girl into an independent woman.
In my project, each time there is a new phrase, I am shown dancing first to show that the past happens before the future (obviously) and Leah is shown dancing second to show that the future is yet to come. Leah and I dance the same phrases but at different times to show that your past and future will always be connected. Many times throughout the video a phrase will begin in one location and radically change locations in the middle. This is to symbolize the many aspects of your life that are affected by your past and also show the many possibilities in your future.
My purpose for making a video of 2 people dancing is to show the relationship between Beloved and Denver, or more abstractly, the past and the future. I chose myself to represent the past because in a few short weeks I will no longer be a student at Booker T., my time at this school will be behind me. I will be a past student and the past 4 years here will be nothing but memories. Leah is a sophomore and therefore is the future of Booker T. I chose her to represent the future because the success of this school over the next 2 years is up to her. At the end of the video, Leah and I are shown on the screen together for the first time. The parts of me by myself symbolize Beloved's individual journey and the parts of Leah by herself symbolize Denver's individual journey. The section together represents how the 2 girls impact each other's lives and ultimately ends with me (Beloved) leaving. This is because the past is in the past and no matter how bad it was, all you can do is keep moving forward into the future.
In an analysis of the characters of Beloved, the author states that Beloved forced those around her to recognize the pain from their past and that her presence forces them to come to terms with themselves. It is also evident that Beloved is a (possible) reincarnation of baby Beloved who had died 18 years earlier, incorporating her literal role of the past. Denver represents the future not only for herself, but for all African American women at that time by seeking a job and education just as African Americans were soon to do. The two characters, Beloved and Denver, feed off of each other very much through out the book just as events from your future feed off events from your past.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y75-DfPzwc&feature=youtu.be
http://www.articlemyriad.com/analysis-beloved-morrison/
