What does the world look like through the eyes of a dance photographer? In this new series, some of the field’s most talented photographers will share images from their archives that are especially compelling or meaningful to them, even if they haven’t been published previously. First up is Rosalie O’Connor, who danced with American Ballet Theatre for 15 years, and had begun to photograph dance while still performing. Since retiring from the stage in 2002, she’s become one of the dance world’s most in-demand photographers, building a prolific and diverse body of work.
▲I’ve been photographing Catherine Hurlin since she was 10 years old. I just think the world of her as a dancer and as an actress. This particular image is so alive—it’s the very height, the very peak, of the moment.
Boston Ballet’s Ji Young Chae rehearsing Tiler Peck’s Point of Departure. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, Courtesy Boston Ballet.
▲What’s really important to me is to show the process, as well as the front-of-house finished product. This legwarmers moment from a dress rehearsal reminded me of the famous Harvey Edwards “Leg Warmers” poster. The colors! I just love the colors.
Boston Ballet’s Daniel Rubin and Ji Young Chae in Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, Courtesy Boston Ballet.
▲I’d previously only seen Crystal Pite’s work on video, and I was so excited to photograph it in Boston. The lighting in this piece is really interesting, how it changes—initially I thought it was digital, but it’s not. And the dancers attacked the choreography with everything they had. It has a lot of heart.
AkaMya Culture Group artist Kaelene Ashmore, a member of the Diné, Nat’oh Diné, Tachii’nii, and Tł’ááshchí’í clans, at the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, Courtesy Lake Tahoe Dance Festival and AkaMya Culture Group.
▲There were two Native American dancers who blessed the ground for the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival on its opening night, dancing not on the stage that had been constructed but on the actual ground. I’d never photographed anything like it. I thought it was very beautiful.
Juilliard dance students in Omar Román De Jesús’ EROICA. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, Courtesy The Juilliard School.
▲I’ve worked for Juilliard since 2004, and it’s been this wonderful relationship that has introduced me to so many different choreographers. I think this photo looks a bit like a Seurat painting. And it’s a snow scene that’s not from Nutcracker.
Vernard J. Gilmore and Bill T. Jones rehearsing D-Man in the Waters. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, Courtesy Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Bill T. Jones.
▲I would venture to say that about 95 percent of my archive has never been seen, which kind of kills me—I think it kills all photographers. I took a series of images of the Ailey company rehearsing with Bill T. Jones in 2013, for a special project. I don’t believe the photos ever went anywhere. Yet it was one of the most extraordinary rehearsals that I have personally ever witnessed.
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