Choros from Michael Langan on Vimeo.

The movement of a dancer is dichotomous. A physically expressive dance can last for minutes, but its individual movements, poses and positions are ephemeral to the viewer. Videos of dance pose the same problem, and while a photograph can capture a choreography’s fleeting configurations, it usually does so at the expense of conveying its kinetics.

One way around this either/or situation is with composite images like these. The video up top, created by filmmakers Michael Langan and Terah Maher, is another. The artists describe their work:

A chorus of women are borne from the movements of a single dancer in this dreamlike “pas de trente-deux.”

“Choros” premiered at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2012 and has gone on to play dozens of festivals worldwide. The film is currently broadcast in Europe by Canal+.

The video above is 13 minutes, but you’ll hardly even notice. HD, full screen, headphones if you can swing it (the accompanying music, Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, is perfect). It’s absolutely transfixing.

– Brian