Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday Author: Jordan Matter | Language: English | ISBN:
B00HNF6LNK | Format: PDF
Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday Description
The mystery of the body in motion. The surprise of seeing what seems impossible. And the pure, joyful optimism of it all.
Dancers Among Us presents one thrilling photograph after another of dancers leaping, spinning, lifting, kicking—but in the midst of daily life: on the beach, at a construction site, in a library, a restaurant, a park. With each image the reader feels buoyed up, eager to see the next bit of magic.
Photographer Jordan Matter started his Dancers Among Us Project by asking a member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company to dance for him in a place where dance is unexpected. So, dressed in a commuter’s suit and tie, the dancer flew across a Times Square subway platform. And in that image Matter found what he’d been searching for: a way to express the feeling of being fully alive in the moment, unself-conscious, present.
Organized around themes of work, play, love, exploration, dreaming, and more,
Dancers Among Us celebrates life in a way that’s fresh, surprising, original, universal. There’s no photoshopping here, no trampolines, no gimmicks, no tricks. Just a photographer, his vision, and the serendipity of what happens when the shutter clicks.
- File Size: 163662 KB
- Print Length: 240 pages
- Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (October 23, 2012)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00HNF6LNK
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,160 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #13
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Photography > Photographers, A-Z - #28
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Dance
- #13
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Photography > Photographers, A-Z - #28
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Arts & Photography > Dance
Full Disclosure: I've known Jordan since 2005. I was happy to assist him on a few shoots for Dancers Among Us, brainstorming ideas, and trying to get every dancer I knew to work with him. If you believe that taints my ability to give a decent review, I suppose I understand. But I'd argue I'm the perfect person to give a review because I can promise you that these pictures are real. The sweat, passion, and commitment of each dancer is real. The sheer talent of the photographer is real. And the power of this book is real.
Even being close to this project, I was in no way prepared for how completely this book would consume me once I finally had it in my hands. I looked at the website dozens of times, I saw some of these shoots first hand, and there were still images that were new, that surprised me, made me laugh, and some that took my breath away. I stayed awake for several hours getting completely lost in each page, feeling my heart swell. Even if I spent some time thinking, "Oh, I wish I looked like that" (these bodies are amazing!), I spent more time thinking, "Oh, I've felt like that." The situations in the book are so recognizable and are divided into sections depicting things we all do: Dream, Love, Play, Explore, Grieve, Work, and above all, Live.
Jordan has included background stories for several pictures, and anecdotes from his own life so you can see how personal and heartfelt the creation of this book was. The pictures would be remarkable on their own, but it is so much more meaningful to know how much went into devising each shot - or how some of them seemingly created themselves. I can say it was a privilege to witness the enthusiasm, dedication, and courage of these dancers firsthand.
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