“Dancers are storytellers.”
In one thrilling photograph after another, Dancers Among Us presents professional dancers from across the country–leaping, spinning, lifting, kicking, while in the midst of daily living.
There’s no photo manipulation here, no trampolines, no gimmicks, no tricks. Just a photographer, his vision, and the serendipity of what happens when the shutter clicks.
I went into this not knowing what to expect, but was ultimately blown away by the sheer joy and awe I felt just flipping from page to page in this book. The seemingly effortless and effervescent way the dancers were captured by Jordan Matter made my head spin.
Divided into seven parts with short essays by the author accompanying each one, I was quickly swept up inside this world where everything seemed to be vibrant, sparkling and moving. There’s also a lovely dose of quotes from well-known individuals sprinkled throughout Dancers Among Us.
But for now I’d like to focus on those bits and pieces that most pierced my heart:
#1: Rise Above It All
Michelle Fleet
New York, New York
#2: Opening Night
Parisa Khobdeh
New York, New York
#3: Big Day
Kristin DeCesare, Jessica Press
New York, New York
#4: Mama’s Boy
Sun Chong, with his mother
Washington, DC
#5: Vista
Evgeniya Chernukhina
New York, New York
#6: Save the Day
Ricardo Rhodes
Sarasota, Florida
#7: Saving Lives
Duncan Lyle
Boston, Massachusetts
I stared at the above picture for an hour trying to figure out how it looks so damn effortless.
#8: Transfer
Jeffrey Smith
New York, New York
#9: Park It
B-boy Gentl Minsung Kim
New York, New York
#10: Close Shave
Alyssa Desamais
Montreal, Canada
#11: Book Worm
Casia Vengoechea
New York, New York
#12: Cram Session
Michelle Fleet
New York, New York
However, the one thing I kept wondering throughout was what happened the second after the shutter clicked… Like, how did the dancers get out of their position safely?
But thankfully the author included a section at the end titled “about the photographs.” So if you’re interested in knowing more context about the inspirations or ideas behind any particular photo, you can just check out said section at the end of the book. It’s utterly brilliant and adds immense depth to each picture.
4/5 stars
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