Because We Must

1989, 52:30 min, color, sound

In Because We Must, Atlas continued his collaboration with British choreographer Michael Clark, the enfant terrible of the dance world in the 1980s. Based on an original stage production at Sadlers' Wells Theatre in London, this is an ironic, irreverent work that is as entertaining as it is provocative. The extravagant stylization and burlesque humor that pervade the choreography, costuming and staging are mirrored by Atlas' focus on the theatricality of the performance and the artifice of the behind-the-scenes narrative. Clark thumbs his nose at the conventions of "serious" dance, composing outrageously unexpected and inventive scenarios that include a nude dancer wielding a chain-saw and a psychedelic interlude, all exquisitely if ironically performed.

Director/Editor: Charles Atlas. Choreography: Michael Clark. Dancers: Leigh Bowery, Leslie Bryant, Joachim Chandler, Michael Clark, Dawn Hartley, Matthew Hawkins, David Holah, Amanda King, Rachel Lynch-John, Leesa Phillips, Russell Maliphant, Gisela Mariani. Music: Frederic Chopin, T-Rex, Graham Lewis, Velvet Underground, Dome. Executive Producer: Jolyon Wimhurst. Camera: John Shann, Bill Abbott, Joe Taylor. Camera Assistant: Ian Wallace. Editor: Hugh Chaloner. Special Thanks: Bronwen La Grue, Caroline Kennedy.