Amanda Lago

Fucking Down is a dance-led music video.  Why did you decide to take this route to interpret Fatal Tiger’s track?

I wanted to recreate a unique, intimate world, a space in which we endlessly wait for something to happen. As Heraclitus once said: “If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail”. Dance is the guiding element of the whole piece.

It’s not just the performers taking part in the dance; it’s the atmosphere too. The sounds, smells, smoke, unbearable heat, as well as the confined space and soft lighting. This is what sets the rhythm to the piece, enriched by a series the visceral and animalistic movements of the performers who, in their own way, interpret the different emotions they represent. 

Can you tell us more about the choreography? 

It was a game of improvisation and listening, paying particular care to the actions and reactions of the different characters. This type of choreography is inspired by Contact Improvisation, a technique based on the exploration of how two or more bodies communicate and react to one another. I also made sure to stay open to the input of my team, reading the atmosphere and what was happening around me without forgetting my vision. Ultimately there was a lot of improvisation and letting go. After all, this is a movement piece, rather than verbal. Movement is everything.

We also built a unique environment. We made it ours, and within this space we were queens, free to do as we pleased. Spending so many hours on the same set, so close to one another, meant that everything worked seamlessly and the performers moved almost without having to speak to one another. 

Every woman represents an emotion in the film. How is this portrayed through their dance routine?

I let the dancers interpret the emotions in their own way to be as authentic as possible. You see Alexandra Hervas (Love) shaking and convulsing as a reaction to the pain experienced by the singer; Silvia Maya (Passion) on the other hand worked with the idea of flexibility, expanding herself and filling the space around her; Maria Kaltembacher (Fear) looked at the “here and now”, hyper aware of everything happening around her; and Ángeles Páez (Anger) focused on expressing the duality of her emotion, negative and positive at the same time.

Obviously casting was very important. I wanted to make sure that the looks of each performer expressed the different aspects of the emotion they were meant to represent. For example Alexandra Hervas’ eyes and smile are very tender. But at the same she can switch and express that fury of love. Everything was taken into account, from their physiognomy and gestures to their gaze and how they moved. 

You enjoy working across different genres, from fashion films and experimental pieces to music videos and commercials. What would you say brings all of your work together?

As a director, I’m not exposed to or interested in just one thing. Fashion, music, psychology, literature – these are all forms of inspiration to me. What’s interesting is being able to combine these different elements and create something new. Fucking Down is a music video because of its relation to the artist, but can also be understood as an experimental dance piece. Movement and dance is probably the one thing that features in all of my work. It’s not something that I plan, but I know for sure that my future projects will feature a strong movement component. It’s a way to communicate and express my vision, without being confined by verbal communication.