The Ballerina - Part 1

I was thrilled when my friend Julie, who has danced world-wide as professional ballet dancer, agreed to be the subject of my first personal project.  We collaborated on the idea and this project has been unofficially dubbed "The Ballerina", consisting of three location shoots.  My goal is to create visual and mental juxtaposition by comparing and contrasting the common "idea" of a ballerina via the use of different locales. When most people, particularly those who are unfamiliar with performing arts, think of ballet or a ballerina, words that typically come to mind are: tutus, beauty, fluid, natural, grace, gentle, form, perfection, posture, etc.  I thought it would be interesting to take this mentality and use locations other than the stage as a means to show a real connection between ballet and the world around us, as well as to show other interesting and underlying sides/characteristics that make up a ballet dancer, i.e. lines, strength, tension, chaos, focus, stability, composure etc., from an artistic point of view.

Below are a few selects from our first location, Graffiti Alley in Baltimore, MD...enjoy.