Behind the Scenes of a Dance Film, Ft. “I’m the Present”

In the Life of Creating a Dance Film – Featuring “I’m the Present”, A Dance Film by Zakiya Moore

The Conception

I got the idea that I wanted to do a sensual heels dance to “December” by Ariana Grande by chance.  I had listened to Ariana Grande’s Christmas EP and got hooked during the holidays. This was around 2017/2018. I just knew I was going to create a dance to that, and wrote every idea in a notebook and forgot about it. I didn’t revisit that idea for another year and some change. “I’m the Present” was born.

A year had passed since I listened to the song. I was like “let’s do it.” I had been to way more heels classes since its conception, and I felt more confident in my abilities. 

This wasn’t my first dance film, short film, or piece of choreography. However, I had gotten to a place in my life where I wanted to show what I could do, and show my growth. I wanted to publish this dance film. I like to keep my art to myself until it feels right to share, but sometimes you want to make something new and just publish it to show the world. 

The Beginning of the Process

So – from October 2019 to December 2019 – I produced, directed, and choreographed a mini dance film to show the world what was in my head. 

Now this project wasn’t everything I envisioned. I had an idea that I’d be in a mansion with a fireplace and big white Christmas tree and possibly diamonds with snow outside…. but budget. And California weather. At least I was still able to wrap a bow around my wrist because  I was the mf present.

I scouted locations that were practical, that I knew already in the area, and that could imitate the vibe I was going for. 

When being creative, that’s always important. In life even, it’s not about the actual details, it’s about how you feel about all of it and if that satisfies you. I am flexible with the details, firm with vision. Biggest tip I can give is having the vision and a story to tell. Or you can make something that looks so nice if that’s what will satisfy you artistically.

So first I had to make a decision to do it, and give myself a deadline. Obviously, Christmas was an easy deadline.

Creating the Choreography

Then I had to create the piece. Long nights with my boo on FaceTime looking at snippets to snagging studio time at a beloved Oakland dance studio. I felt a mix of things. I felt blocked some days, and just tried to push through. Other days, choreography flew out. Working multiple jobs, dancing every day, and maintaining peace of mind became increasingly difficult. 

Rehearsals

After the choreography rough draft was complete – thank God – I reached out to a few dancers in the area to get a trio going. Many weren’t available until December. I had two performances that month, but I told myself “just do it.” So when I locked down a dancer I had danced with back in the day, it felt right. 

We had about 3-4 rehearsals  because she was still in school and working, and my schedule was all over the place. I had to make it work, and because I loved the idea of working with others, I invited the girl I was dancing with for feedback, ideas, and the like. But like most artists, I was very adamant about my vision because I knew what I was going for. Remember, flexible with the details, firm with the vision. That’s my motto, and it works for me. 

Our first rehearsal, we got together, I showed her what I had, and immediately starting throwing ideas together. Don’t eat before your rehearsals like me.

Also! Don’t do moves you’re not comfortable with. Some moves were too technical or just didn’t look good on us. That is fine!

Things changed last minute; some things we couldn’t do, but we pressed on. It’s a part of the process.

Finding the Places To Shoot the Film

Last thing I did was scout locations. My original location fell through, and a few blocks away from the studio I had rented, I had seen this location, and was like “that’s the one.” I booked the studio, and I prayed for my second outdoor location would run smoothly.

The Most Stressful Part… The Videographer

I almost forgot to mention the most stressful part of this whole thing. Not finding dancers, creating choreography, or a concept. Nope. The hardest part was finding a videographer. That was the reason I almost didn’t shoot that film. Every Bay Area videographer was booked, out of my budget, or just didn’t respond or wasn’t interested in the project. I had told myself that I can only do what I can do, and had tweaked my project proposal as much as I could. The moment I let go, though, was when I got the hit up back that the man that would soon be my videographer was down to the project. He was the final option as everyone else had already responded or moved on. Another sign.  It was a few days before we were set to film… 

My videographer had never seen the locations, barely saw the dance and heard the song maybe once. And we were shooting at NIGHT. 

Then something happened: I got into a mode of focus that deterred me from any worry or doubt that could’ve formed in those moments. I created a film schedule and shot list (thank you Howard film school), ran it through with my videographer and told him my vision over the phone the day before, and especially made sure there were LED lights (if you don’t know, get hip. LED lights save lives). 

The Day of the Shoot

Now to the day of the shoot. Aren’t we forgetting something? Why yes, yes we are. We didn’t have any costumes (or makeup artists but there were only two of us so we’d manage that). Something fell through with our original costumes on Amazon, so on the day of the shoot I had to make magic happen. 

I rode all over the Bay Area, from Fremont all the way back up to Downtown Oakland on the day of the shoot. We decided on a Christmas red, shoulder-less dress at Party City. The only Party City that had two dresses, though, was in Fremont, over an hour away because of the traffic. So I called and let her know how much it was, and drove down to pick them up. She was cool with that, and we had agreed to it. 

“I don’t celebrate Christmas.”

I get to the store after calling ahead to put them on hold, and buy them. As I ask her to cash app me her portion for the costume, my dancer promptly tells me that “I do not celebrate Christmas; I celebrate Kwanzaa.” (Mind you, this is a Christmas-themed dance film.) She offers to cash app me $8 “for gas.” No, she didn’t have a car because if she did she would’ve known that $8 in California with a car that only takes premium gas will do absolutely nothing for the car. I told her to keep it. It makes me laugh now, but at the time this was not fun.

I was beyond frustrated. My call time was about two hours away, I was over two hours away. I asked her if she had something red or bright to wear that were Christmas colors. She said she’d look. I didn’t have time to worry, so I hauled ass over to one of my favorite stores: Ross. I then bought the only decent looking red shirts in the store. I’d choose later. 

As time passed, I still hadn’t eaten, and I was doing a million little tasks at once. There were many moments that day that I felt really alone. I don’t remember if I ate, or if I stopped home. 

What I do know is that I had gotten into the first location fifteen minutes before call time, and I was pissed. (I originally wanted to get there an hour before.)  I asked my videographer to set up the first shot. Meanwhile, I threw on makeup while trying to warm up at the same time. 

“But a film set always has to deal with Murphy’s Law.”

Then, I took my hair out of the twists, and it came out in one of those once-in-a-blue-moon twist outs. Stretched perfectly, bouncy and defined. I looked in the mirror like “this is a good sign.” Right? My hair almost always talks back when trying to style it.

But a film set always has to deal with Murphy’s Law.

My dance partner came in a black shirt instead of a red one. The show must go on. I got to my studio costs tripled because of a huge misunderstanding in the middle of shooting. The show must go on. Even when I couldn’t seem to feel all the way sexy in some shots initially because of frustration… Get over it, get in your zone, because the show must go on.

Once I started dancing and creating, it felt like everything that had transpired prior had melted away. I felt a buzz.  Things just began to flow. I gave each film shot special care.

There is such a special feeling to me being able to be the creator and the maker but still get to collaborate. I can’t explain the feeling. It just feels like that’s how a true leader should be. You need to be asking questions on set, always feeling the energy of the people around you, and being present in what is happening creatively. I brought positivity even when nothing seemed to be going right.

In hindsight, I didn’t give my 100% performing because I had been so focused on the vision. As much as I love performing, I couldn’t afford to get lost in it. One day, I’d have more hands on deck, more artists around me I can trust so I could lose myself in the art collectively. Until then, I made my vision come true and put less emphasis on performing. That’s all that mattered at the time. But I should’ve enjoyed every moment instead of making sure it was all “just right.” The process is just as a part of the finished product. It’s really important to have as many hands on deck as possible because we cannot do this shit by ourselves. The arts weren’t intended to be that way. And it’s way more fun with more people.

That’s a Wrap

When we had finished, we went across the street to Home of Chicken and Waffles (a place I have went to an unhealthy amount of times that summer). We got drunk, and talked about what it’s like to Black and our expectations, and hearing from my videographer his unrealistic expectations in the Asian-American community. I don’t know how that conversation even started, and quite honestly, that’s really all I remember from that conversation.  

I edited the film and published it on Christmas day, a few days later. It really was the best gift I gave myself, and the people that came together that made it happen really came through. 

The Aftermath

Did I mention that this was the very beginning of an injury that has plagued me all of 2020? An injury that made dance rehearsals torture the months before the pandemic began, and left me unable to walk soon after. One that I’ve been trying to recover from since. Was it worth it? 

If I knew the injury would’ve gotten this bad, I would not have pushed myself past the pain right after a performance two weeks prior, where the pain was at its worst.

I understand what my body needs way more now, and I wouldn’t have taken that chance. But at the time? It felt glorious, and right, and I’m so glad I got to take a chance on my art and simply create. I guess you gotta take the good with bad, because who knows when I’d be able to shoot again after the pandemic, and after an injury. I’m satisfied with what I created, and no feeling can match that.

The Final Product

All this work paid off. This is the final product.

More choreography samples on my Portfolio page.

Photography provided by Macy Bryant @macyshotthis on Instagram. What a gem of a photographer!

Photography services by myself as well @wokedancer.

Cover Photo provided by by Matthew Hicks on Unsplash