the Editor says: Have you ever seen dance and diving combined into one? This time, BlueTrend attended an underwater dance imagery production exchange hosted by Waterman, which invited the AUA underwater arts team from mainland China to share their experiences shooting underwater dance performances. Did you think it was as simple as jumping in the water, dancing, and snapping some photos? After hearing the presentation, BlueTrend also got the chance to interview AUA's underwater film director — Ji Shu — to hear about his journey. Let's take a look!
AUA Underwater Dance Cinematographer — Ji Shu
Image source: provided by the AUA team
Known as a multi-hyphenate, Ji Shu skis, does photography, and dives. Before becoming an underwater photographer, he was actually a landscape architect working in a public institution — the classic nine-to-five grind, day in and day out, until the repetition gradually wore him down. So in 2018, he decided to quit and dedicate himself fully to "playing."
Ji Shu's ambition was to carve out his own space through play and make a living from his passions. Along the way, he continuously honed his skills — earning a dive instructor certification, attending workshops to sharpen his photography, and eventually establishing himself as a travel and lifestyle photographer.
What Sparked the Idea to Film Underwater Dance?
The unexpected pandemic of 2020 grounded Ji Shu, who had previously been flying around the world. One day, he came across the underwater dance work Ama by French underwater artist Julie Gautier, and it left a deep impression on him. It sparked an idea: if he could capture that kind of underwater content, his underwater work might take on something truly different and unique.
Image source: AUA official website
What Makes Performing Dance Underwater So Special?
Dance can be filmed on land — so why go through all the trouble of shooting underwater? For Ji Shu, the answer lies in the use of space. Underwater, buoyancy unlocks the vertical dimension, allowing the frame to expand endlessly and giving movement and composition a remarkable sense of depth. Before every underwater shoot, Ji Shu asks himself: why go underwater? What does the water actually contribute? If he can't answer that basic question, then there's no point in getting in at all.
What Is the Hardest Part of Underwater Dance for Performers?
Image source: AUA official website
Merging Dance with Water
Knowing how to dance and knowing how to dive are two entirely different things. Bringing them together seamlessly — without it feeling awkward or forced — demands relentless practice. Only through repetition can the two disciplines be truly unified.
Water Sense
The term sounds abstract, but it simply means becoming familiar with how the underwater world feels. Before entering the water, performers must attune themselves to the space — sensing their position relative to the environment and their own body within it. By visualising everything in advance, once underwater they won't feel lost; instead, the sensations the water provides will become remarkably clear and vivid.
What Challenges Do Photographers and Directors Face?
Group Shoots
Filming a single performer underwater is relatively straightforward. Shooting two or more requires a much deeper level of coordination to keep movements in sync. In these cases, an assistant is brought underwater to tap a rhythm stick, giving the dancers a beat to follow.
Image source: provided by the AUA team
Post-Production Editing
During an underwater shoot, footage is captured in many short clips, dictated by how long each dancer or performer can hold their breath. Fully structured, narratively complete takes are rare. It falls to the editing process to weave all those fragments into a cohesive finished piece.
A Large Production Team
Bringing a complete underwater work to life requires far more than just performers and a camera operator. There are hair and makeup artists, movement coaches, and more — and in the water, multiple safety divers are needed to ensure the safety of both the performers and the photographers. The team required for an underwater production can actually be even larger than one for a shoot on land.
Image source: provided by the AUA team
Although underwater dance has only begun to gain traction in recent years, more and more people are willing to take that first step and give it a try. You don't have to be a professional dancer to be a worthy performer — as long as you're willing to let go and embrace the experience, you are your own queen!
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