From Publishers Weekly
A former professional dancer views the art through a photographer’s lens in this slim but poignant book of images. O’Connor, who danced with American Ballet Theatre for 15 years, records many moments that can’t been seen by theater audiences: the pre-performance application of make up; the behind-the-scenes line-up of toe shoes and headpieces all set for a quick change during Swan Lake; a dancer waiting pensively in the wings. O’Connor also catches dance in mid-action: leaps, pirouettes, tutus swirling into abstract patterns. O’Connor won a dance photography contest in 1996, and since then she has been invited to photograph ABT on a regular basis; her work has appeared in Vogue and Vanity Fair. The photos speak for themselves, but O’Connor has also obtained comments from some of the artists who appear here, such as Mark Morris, Gillian Murphey, Paloma Herrera and Natalia Makarova. And her own brief comments add to the intimate sense of the inner world of the dance that O’Connor captures so well.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Who better to "choreograph" via photography the dancer's life than a dancer? Former American Ballet Theatre dancer O'Connor provides a wonderful intimacy with her images of both backstage and onstage life encompassing elation and exhaustion, rigorous routine practice, and the procedure and protocol for lining up pointe shoes, a necessity for dancers doing the infamous, multiple quick changes for Swan Lake. Invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to join ABT in 1987, O'Connor danced roles created by de Mille and Balanchine, then won a dance photo contest in 1996. That led to her producing images for the company's Web site. While recovering from a 1997 foot injury, she focused on capturing the essence of ABT, eventually returning as a performer until her 2002 retirement. Her black-and-white shots make permanent the joys and difficulties of success in an art where the relatively narrow window of opportunity makes more poignant the memorable photo gallery. From scenes of Jerome Robbins' Fancy Free to close-ups of all-important makeup applications, O'Connor's photos, with accompanying text from dancers, make an indelible impression. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Booklist, 10/01/04
O'Connor's photos, with accompanying text from dancers, make an indelible impression.
Dance Teacher Magazine - Holiday Picks, December 2004
"Getting Closer delivers on the promise of its title, presenting a series of striking black and white photographs."
Dancer Magazine, December 2004
"O'Connor's timing for the right moment for an unusual pose is uncanny."
Dancer Magazine, December 2004
"University Press of Florida are to be lauded as emerging as the publishers of books on dance."
Time Out New York, November 4-11, 2004
"In the ephemeral world of dance, pictures [are] an irreplaceable treasure trove....no one makes photographic mementos quite like...O'Connor."
Dancer Magazine, March 2005
Exquisite.
Getting Closer: A Dancer's Perspective FROM THE PUBLISHER
Former American Ballet Theatre dancer Rosalie O'Connor takes us behind the scenes of one of America's best-loved dance companies. With this collection of black-and-white photographs taken between 1996 and 2002, O'Connor shares with us a more intimate view of dance-from rigorous daily routines to breath-taking moments in performance. Mikhail Baryshnikov invited O'Connor to join ABT in 1987, and she danced in roles choreographed by such icons as George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, and Agnes DeMille. After winning a dance photography contest in 1996, she was invited to create a photo gallery that would represent ABT on their newly created website. She began toting cameras and film in her ballet bag, and the assignment became part of her daily life. When she suffered a serious foot injury in 1997, she stayed actively involved with the company through photography and discovered that all she knew as a dancer could inform her eye as a dance photographer. With unlimited access to her colleagues and an unrestricted view from the wings, O'Connor captures the emotions of dancers and choreographers at their most unguarded-intense, vulnerable, exhausted, and exhilarated. Getting Closer is a compilation of her favorite images.
Art & Photography
Book Info
