Here is an overview of some of my photography of dance over the years. My interest focuses on the dancer, the kinesthetic expression, the emotion, the fleeting moments of power, passion and precision that choreograph and transmit to the viewer this wonderful and dynamic art form. Some of these images are highlights of longer posts in the past on a particular event that I photographed, these can be seen further back in this blog. While some of the images were shot on a high-end DSLR the bulk were photographed with a cellphone camera. For me, the moment and the emotion is the most important, I’ll sacrifice resolution, color accuracy and noise any day to capture the instant of joy, evocative expression and kinesthetic awareness.
[Hover over images for captions – not on all photos. Click on any image to show full resolution, you can then click through the galleries at full size]
Santa Monica, California – candid streetdancing
Santa Monica, California: a night of dance & music on the Promenade – various groups of tango, salsa, etc.
Tiny Dancers…
The same night that the adults were dancing tango and salsa on the promenade, the music unleashed the inner dancer in these fantastic micro-dancers…
Sea Point Promenade, Cape Town, South Africa: Sunset Salsa
Zvi Dance, Lincoln Center, New York
On a hot summer’s night in August in New York Center I was wandering through Lincoln Center when I came upon this fabulous performance (part of the free concert series that Lincoln Center Performing Arts puts on every summer) of modern dance by this amazing group.
“One does not just watch a dance by Zvi Gotheiner. One enters a world with its own internal logic, a sensual, organic world of movement, language, and images where one is pulled along by currents unseen and inevitable.” [Dance Magazine]
Wedding Dance, Staten Island, New York
A co-worker of mine asked if I would shoot some candids at her wedding to supplement the more formal ‘grin and bear it’ album photographs. These are a few I particularly liked of her maid of honor letting go…
“Sacred Drums”, Lincoln Center, New York
The Lincoln Center Press Corp asked me to shoot this concert “Sacred Drums” – an evening of various drumming & dancing, ranging from Afro-Cuban to Brazilian and Japanese. Here are a few images, the full post on this event is here.
Impromptu “Hare Krishna” Dance, Hollywood Blvd., California
As I was walking down Hollywood Blvd (at that time my office was on the corner of Hollywood & La Brea, I often took a walk at lunchtime) the ever-present Hare Krishna group was there beating out their well-known rhythm and this young woman just started dancing… To me, she embodied “spirit”… I loved the final image, panting a bit as the song ended, as it was around 37C (99F) that day.
Children of Dance
Summer Dance, Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa
“Infecting The City”, Cape Town, South Africa
For a few days each year, the Arts invades central Cape Town, “Infecting The City” with dance, drama, music and other expressions of artistic human spirit. These images are a few that I captured of dance, both inside and out of doors during those nights.
Dancing to “Bella’s Bartok”, on the Hudson River, New York City
The Bohemian folk group “Bella’s Bartok” – mixing Kletzmer music with a serious dance rhythm – filled the 72nd St. Pier on the Upper West Side with a backdrop of music to which many exploded into dance…
Bellydancing, Hollywood Blvd., California
Salsa Dancing, Burbank, California
Every so often in the late summer evenings in Burbank, the central mall turns into a salsa dance floor…
Thanks for sharing this journey!
ClearLight Imagery 