A welcome addition to Dunedin Fringe, Displaced provides a compelling example of how to reimagine theatre and dance in a digital medium to reach a greater audience. This short film adapts Akeim Toussaint Buck’s one-man dance theatre piece, Windows of Displacement.

Divided into ten chapters, this short film combines dance, poetic text, and music to explore the legacy of colonialism and imperialism within the context of contemporary cultural issues. The short film juxtaposes shots of Toussaint Buck dancing on stage with shots of him dancing in nature and more mundane spaces like the laundromat or barbershop.

Notably, as he dances in these ordinary spaces, Toussaint Buck is not acknowledged by spectators. Other shots contrast him walking through these spaces, out of costume, and interacting with the other inhabitants. Then, his dancing self seems almost like a separate psychic projection, which is consolidated within himself by the film’s end.

Cinematographer James Williams and Director Ashley Karrell (who co-directs with Toussaint Buck) often parallel the shots of Toussaint Buck dancing on stage and in nature, establishing a bridge between the stage space and the imaginative natural world that Toussaint Buck dances into existence. The nature scenes take place on a rocky beach and on a mudflat, conjuring a liminal space of encounter and change.

Toussaint Buck’s movement oscillates between smooth, more lyrical choreography and literal gestures that express the spoken word text he performs. His dynamic use of levels suggests a body in conflict, fighting constantly against the force of gravity. Audible breath and percussive body movements make the movement visceral, despite the mediation of the screen. His choreography evolves across the film’s ten sections, along with his developing message and story.

In this film, Toussaint Buck’s body is a site of both personal and inherited trauma. Williams and Karrell often shoot Toussaint Buck in the center of the frame, standing still as the world spins around him, expressing his inner turmoil. Toussaint Buck manifests psychological gestures, the weight of this collective trauma he narrates pushing against his skin to escape in jerky, almost involuntary movements.

Displaced is an excellent adaptation, especially because dance can be so difficult to transpose onto film. Williams and Karrell frequently rely on mid-shots to feature most of Toussaint Buck’s dancing body without losing the details of his expressions. Still, in these shots, a portion of Toussaint Buck’s body is always cut off. By sectioning his body for the viewer, a bit of the full-body, embodied effect is lost. Occasional unique angles, like an overhead shot, are a welcome addition.

The final chapters of this short film are part manifesto, part provocation. Toussaint Buck speaks directly to camera, repeating, “We the 99%.” He is explicit in his goals, calling out the forces of capitalism and imperialism, yet his message doesn’t become didactic, cushioned as it is by his poetic speech and stylized movement. By referencing current manifestations of colonialism, like the mining industry, he implicates his viewers as agents for change.

In the end, Toussaint Buck proposes radical joy and collective action in the face of these forces. This joy reveals itself in quicker, polyrhythmic movements and the communal triumph of the others singing and dancing with him. Theatre-goers interested in physical theatre, dance, spoken word, political theatre, multimedia projects, and unique explorations of complex issues will surely enjoy Displaced. 

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