“Cora, Black and White Photography Black and white photographic poster of a ballerina.

Photography and Ballet Throughout history, the primary goal of ballet photography has been to freeze movement. Many dance photographers have successfully achieved the initial goal of freezing the steps, but nowadays, this is not enough. The ‘frozen’ step remains just that, a record of an execution, a specific movement, even if correct, may only be that, and sometimes offers an angle or an approach whose aesthetics fail to convey or acknowledge the emotional power that makes the photo a work of art in itself.

Today, the aim is to go beyond the simple freezing of a particular step, to explore and discover what transcends beyond movement; the possible greatness or skill of the dancer who is the subject of the photograph is not enough.

Photography is a succession of fleeting attempts that manage to record the desires to retain a past that no longer exists but is evoked through the nostalgia of those who have lived it. This is one of the main functions of photography for ballet, to leave a mark, a memory, as a document and proof that it existed.

The use of photography in ballet also serves the purpose of spreading this discipline to a larger audience. Anyone can access them, admire them, and contemplate them.”