Press

Dolphin Dance Project

“talented humans and wild dolphins dancing together on film”

NYC dancer/choreographer Chisa Hidaka initiated the Dolphin Dance Project (www.dolphin-dance.org) in 2009 to bring together talented human dancers and wild dolphins to co-create underwater dances and films that document them. Having initially encountered wild dolphins on a vacation, Chisa became intrigued by how much the physical play of dolphins diving and swirling amongst themselves or with humans had in common with the way that human dancers related to each other through movement. Through the Dolphin Dance Project, Chisa is exploring how this physical exchange can be an intimate and profound inter-species communication. Dedicated to a true collaboration between equal minds, the Dolphin Dance Project is producing films that capture this extraordinary relationship between humans and wild dolphins through a lens that integrates insightful scientific research with innovative, engaging underwater dance. This stunning co-creation, presented in the context of what scientists are discovering about dolphin cognition and behavior, highlights the creativity, intelligence, and spirit of wild dolphins with the hope of inspiring audiences to protect them and their ocean habitats.

“When we interact with dolphins as our collaborative equals, we suddenly understand in a profound way that we are not the only intelligent and aware species on the planet,” says Chisa. The works of the Dolphin Dance Project ask audiences to consider the different choices we would make if we fully recognized the consequences of our actions on every other sentient being, not just humans and, perhaps, to feel compelled to ensure that other animals’ lives are not compromised by environmental degradation and other repercussions of our global scale society. The works also suggest how exquisite it might be to live in harmony with nature. Chisa says,“Meeting a wild dolphin eye to eye, it’s hard not to want to be more like her - more wild and more a part of the natural world.”

The films of the Dolphin Dance Project are aimed for a wide viewership, bringing awareness of wild dolphins and appreciation of dance to the large audience of nature film lovers. To make this possible, Chisa has recruited a team of talented collaborators, experienced filmmakers, and notably one of the foremost experts on dolphin cognition, Dr. Diana Reiss (see bios below). In the last year, the Dolphin Dance Project has produced a pilot film to build momentum for a longer composition and accompanying documentary.

TOGETHER: Dancing with Spinner Dolphins

“a human dancer and a wild dolphin discover a common language to express their mutual affection and delight”

Recognized as Best Experimental Film at its world premiere at the Big Apple Film Festival, ‘Together: Dancing with Spinner Dolphins’ (3 min 33 sec, 2010), is the debut film of the Dolphin Dance Project. It portrays Chisa and wild Spinner Dolphins forging a tender relationship through the graceful language of dance in the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. While directing and performing in the film, Chisa used principles of dance improvisation to work with dolphins that are completely wild, participating voluntarily without feeding or any other coercion. To watch ‘Together’ is to see the unfolding of a rare artistic collaboration between a human and completely wild animals. ‘Together’ is a true innovation in dance and inter-species communication. It is also a poetic portrayal of the simple beauty of a human in harmony with Nature. ‘Together’ is available for download or on DVD at http://www.dolphin-dance.org/together

(To reach a wide audience, a film trailer, in four languages including Japanese, Spanish, and French, is also available on the ‘Together’ page mentioned above, Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/dolphindanceproject, and Vimeo http://vimeo.com/dolphindance.)

Watching the film, the audience will see the importance of eye contact between Chisa and her dolphin partners. “Dolphins’ eyes are so expressive,” says Chisa. To keep eye contact, dolphins usually put themselves just a little ahead of her because, with eyes on the sides of their heads, they can see almost directly backwards. They also seem to know that with eyes that face forwards she can only see ahead, and would lose eye contact if she were in front. With an amazing sensitivity to changes in movement or direction, the dolphins can ‘follow’ a dancer while in front of her and also gently lead her. In fact, the dolphins sensitively choreograph much of the dance. One thing that may not be obvious is how slowly the dolphins are moving to accommodate Chisa. Spinner Dolphins can easily swim at 25 miles per hour, and even at their slowest they move faster than any human swimmer. Occasionally, the viewer might notice the dolphins making curious wiggles to try to go slowly enough not to leave the human dancer behind - it is a sign of their generosity and their keen interest in prolonging these moments of ‘together’-ness.

The impact of ‘Together’ is owed not only to the blue of the Pacific Ocean, spirited play of wild Spinner Dolphins and Chisa’s graceful dancing, but Bryce Groark’s shimmering underwater cinematography, which frames the action with masterful artistry. Bryce’s previous work has been featured by A&E and the Smithsonian Institution amongst others, and he is currently traveling with oceanographer Sylvia Earle, PhD on the team of Mission Blue. Additional underwater camerawork for ‘Together’ was provided by Brett LeMaster, the North American record holder in free-diving, who used his breath holding skills to capture the most intimate moments of Chisa and the dolphins moving together under water. Other members of the crew included producers Loui Terrier and Benjamin Harley, and production coordinator Rick Osburn. ‘Together’ was shot over 5 days in January 2010 and completed in October with support from a finishing fund grant from Dance Films Association.

A short adaptation of ‘Together’, written and edited by Benjamin Harley, was selected as one of 20 finalists by the Ocean Inspiration celebration of the 100th anniversary of Jacques Cousteau and will screen at their gala in Spring 2011. The Dolphin Dance Project embraces Cousteau’s belief that “People protect what they love”, and ‘Together’ seeks to seduce audiences with an extraordinarily intimate experience of the curiosity, creativity, and generosity of dolphins in the wild.

‘Together’ was awarded Best Experimental Film at its world premiere at the Big Apple Film Festival (http://www.bigapplefilmfestival.com/). It was also an official selection of the,Colorado Environmental Film Festival (http://www.ceff.net/). In January 2011, ‘Together’ will be shown on The Big Screen Project, a huge LED screen visible from the street and several venues in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC, as part of the Dance on Camera Festival (http://dancefilms.org/festival/39th-annual-festival-2011/big-screen-project/). In April it will be screened as part of the 25th Anniversary Performance Mix Festival also in NYC (http://newdancealliance.org/performance-mix-festival/)

The Next Film: Reunion

Work has already begun for the next film of the Dolphin Dance Project, ‘Reunion: Sharing the Dance,’ which will bring together four dancers and a pod of Altantic Spotted Dolphins in the waters around the Bahamas. The introduction of additional dancers is certain to bring new and exciting discoveries in human-dolphin interaction and choreography. To be filmed in the turquoise waters of the Bahamas with the charismatic Spotted Dolphins, ‘Reunion’ promises to be even more beautiful than ‘Together.’

Chisa recently went on a field research trip to the location with scientific advisor Diana Reiss, PhD. Director of Marine Mammal Research at the National Aquarium and a professor of psychology at Hunter College, Dr. Reiss is an expert on dolphin cognition having published the seminal study using mirrors that shows dolphins express self-awareness. Incorporating Dr. Reiss’ expertise, ‘Reunion’ will deliver not only more graceful inter-species dancing, but compelling scientific insights and interpretations of what passes between humans and wild dolphins as they dance.

In preparation, the Dolphin Dance Project is actively seeking out grantors and financial partners to contribute to the production of a full length documentary featuring the interactions of several dancers and wild Spotted Dolphins as well as the commentary of Dr. Reiss and other notable scientists - a program that promises to be an extraordinary hour of beauty, grace, and mind-opening new perspectives.

Dolphin Etiquette

The Dolphin Dance Project only works with wild dolphins in the open ocean, on the dolphins’ terms. We never feed dolphins, nor attempt to coerce or train them in any way. As a rule, the dolphins approach us out of their own curiosity. We do our best to be well-informed about the most current scientific research on natural behavior of dolphins so that we can interact with them in ways that are safe and appropriate for humans and dolphins. We understand that we are visitors in the dolphins’ environment and we never attempt to interact with dolphins if they are resting or feeding or show any signs of disinterest or annoyance.

We approach dolphins in a very specific and disciplined manner that is informed by our scientific understanding of dolphins and our specific artistic training and goals. It is dancing, not swimming. Viewers should not expect similar interactions with captive dolphins or even wild dolphins that are encountered on swim-with-dolphin tours. We do not share the locations of our encounters.

Our films give the viewer an opportunity to experience vicariously what would otherwise require significant training and expense. We hope they will inspire our audience to learn more about dolphins and to want to protect them. To that end, we provide a webpage for important information about the threats to wild dolphins and what we can do to resolve or minimize them: http://www.dolphin-dance.org/protect

For Biographies of the team, please consult our Team page.