“What A Place” by Akira Uchida

Jun 10

New York-based choreographer and director Akira Uchida translates musically-driven sensations into dance for short film “What A Place”. Through interlocking yet distinct scenes, the film considers how music can initiate a heightened state of expression in its central character – entering new states which evolve in contrasting ways when alone and among friends.

Growing from a collaboration with electronic music artist altrice, “What A Place” considers the broad spectrum of self-expression accessible to an individual at any given moment, engaging with each track from the EP of the same name, and allowing feelings that emerge to develop a non-linear narrative. Shot across New York City – largely in Rockaway Park, and other parts of Brooklyn – the film lenses the city with a sense of distance, considering the altered states that exist in movement, and how the environment reflects his character’s internal experience.

Following a progression from closed and personal states of expression to bold, dynamic movement, “What A Place” lets ambiguities and dualities rise to the surface, communicating fragments rooted in reality, yet leaving viewers to determine whether they are witnessing a fantasy.