Elegance in Action

Elegance in Action- A Photographic Exhibition of the Strength, Skill, and Style of Dance

Elegance in Action was a collection of over 55 photographs created through collaboration with dance professionals. These images showcase the unique nuances of dance movement, and the strength, skill, and style of those who perform it.

George Balanchine once said, “Ballet is woman.” That may or may not be true, but in either case I believe it to be an enormous understatement; ballet (and dance in general) is much more: It’s been described as a form of personal expression, art, ritual, a series of movements, a form of communication; there seems to be as many definitions of dance as there are dancers.

At any rate, it’s much more than 50% of the world’s population! One thing common to all experience of dance, however, is its fleeting quality: Unlike art forms such as painting and sculpture, as soon as the dance occurs, it’s gone: Poof. Unfortunately, dance has historically appeared then vanished for want of a way to preserve it.

Now we can use photography to capture and preserve intentionally chosen moments and send them off to future generations. If we carefully choose and protect these moments, we’ll showcase the unseen beauty and meaning in dance and highlight the unique beauty of each, preserving them for years.

This project is my endeavor to depict the dance, to negate its fleeting quality by converting the activity from the performing to the visual arts. By collaborating and creating images that showcase the dancer’s unique attributes (tangible and intangible,) their beauty and grace is preserved, rather than slipping quietly into the past, and is given to future generations as artifacts that outlive us.