Liminality

Liminality is inspired by reimagining what Odette may have experienced upon plunging to her death in the lake from the classical ballet "Swan Lake". It is a moment of suspended reality and a story of disenchantment, self-discovery and transformation. In our modern world we know that “happily ever after” is a journey and we have the ability to exercise our own agency to create our experience. In our story, the heroine is exploring the space in between life and death. She is coming to terms with the end of her world as she knew it and finding the strength and courage to move into a new existence.

We see this story as a metaphor for what many ballet dancers experience upon the imminent journey of their retirement from professional careers. On stage there is always a happy ending. For example, Seigfried in "Swan Lake" immediately realizes his mistake in being seduced by another woman, seeks forgiveness from Odette, and follows her off the cliff to his death so they can be reunited in the afterlife. But what is the reality for the dancers who play these characters? When the fairytale is over, what happens next?

The dancer and choreographer of Liminality, Annali Rose, is searching to answer that question for herself. She is using her heart as a guide to follow what brings her joy. As someone who is new to choreography, she wanted to begin this journey in the only place she had felt inspired to play with choreography in her past—underwater. The water is symbolic of the feeling of drowning and the death of her identity as a professional dancer. But it also envelops her, providing safety, support, and the spark of joy that is the magical seed of regeneration.

The cinematography was captured by artist and digital choreographer, Jennifer Akalina Petuch, at the Madison Blue Spring State Park in Lee County Florida during January 2020. Having a sharp eye for 2-D composition in Dance and a steady hand, Petuch used her skills of swimming, experience as a professional dancer, and a simple GoPro to film and then create the underwater work.

  • Jennifer Akalina Petuch
    Director
  • Annali Rose
    Director
  • Annali Rose
    Dancer and Choreographer
  • Lincoln Sandham
    Music
  • Jennifer Akalina Petuch
    Cinematographer and Camera Operator
  • Annali Rose
    Costume Designer
  • Jennifer Akalina Petuch
    Video Editor
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Dance, Underwater, Screendance, Dancefilm
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 18, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    100 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    GoPro Hero 3
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jennifer Akalina Petuch, Annali Rose

Jennifer A. Petuch is currently Adjunct Faculty and Staff at Florida State University's School of Dance. Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, she trained for fourteen years at the Academy of Ballet Florida and performed in professional ballets with the Company of Ballet Florida in pieces such as Marie Hale’s "The Nutcracker", "Romeo and Juliet", and "Sleeping Beauty". She graduated magna cum laudé from the University of South Florida achieving a Bachelor’s in Dance Studies. At USF, she danced in several notable pieces including Gretchen Warren’s, "Les Sylphides" and Doug Varone’s, "Sacre du Printemps". Jennie participated in the USF Dance in Paris Program in the summer of 2010 working with well-known choreographers, Claudia Lavista and Michael Foley. After graduating, she taught at three dance studios in the Tampa Bay area as well as performing and choreographing with Shoes at the Door Dance Company.

Petuch graduated summa cum laudé from Florida State University’s School of Dance Program with her Master of Fine Arts in Choreography and Performance with a focus in Dance Technology in 2017. While attending FSU, she performed in multiple pieces such as Tim Glenn’s, "RIDE", Joséphine Garibaldi’s, "Land of the Pick and Choose", and a Tedx Talk in Spring of 2015. She also became certified by Balanced Body, Inc. as a Pilates Mat instructor in 2017. Her MFA thesis resulted in a two-year collaboration with the FSU Computer Science faculty and students creating an original interactive software for the stage called ViFlow. She creates screendances, projections, and uses new technology to enhance the performance experience. Her life-long mission as a performing artist and choreographer is to create work that resonates with the audience members. Her goal is for them to walk out of the theater thinking back on their experience feeling stimulated and inspired.

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