The Passion of Dance

The ISTD is delighted to announce a photographic exhibition currently being held at ISTD2 - The Passion of Dance, by photographer Elaine Mayson.

Elaine Mayson, previously an international soloist dancer, is now an award winning dance photographer and her work frequently features in DANCE and on the ISTD websites. This new exhibition is the culmination of a year spent with the English National Ballet in 2004, and gives us an exciting chance to see a leading ballet company up close, both on and off stage plus a selection of other photographs.

The exhibition runs from 19th September 2005 to 28th February 2006, but Elaine found time in her schedule to talk to us prior to the opening of the exhibition:

Elaine, tell us about the exhibition…
I wanted to have my first exhibition on ENB because I danced as a soloist with the company for nine years. Matz Skoog had now become director of ENB and had danced in the company at the same time as myself. He also brought back lots of ex-dancers of the same era to teach. When I was a member of the company I had always been amazed at my friends who seemed to love coming backstage or seeing disastrous rehearsals than watching the polished performance!

This set me thinking that the public are probably also interested in seeing the life of a dancer. With the kind permission of Matz and the teachers I was allowed to photograph rehearsals and go backstage. However though the photographs are not all perfect poses I hope I have captured the unique intensity that all dancers have for their profession.

How did you get into photography and why dance photography in particular?
I had always loved taking photographs and when I was in South Africa my friends always asked if I would take my little instamatic to parties and events because they loved seeing my photographs. When I stopped dancing I looked into becoming a photographer and realised I could not afford the equipment. I also had no technical knowledge so I would have to go to college to learn about cameras and printing.

I returned to England and discovered that I was entitled to a grant from the Dancers Resettlement Fund. I was able to start a Photography and Marketing course and the Resettlement Fund bought my first professional camera, lens and dark room equipment.

I wanted to specialise in dance because I have a lot of knowledge and experience in this field. Dancers trust me to make them look good artistically and technically.

What are the particular challenges of dance photography?
The main challenge in dance photography is the lowlight with movement. If the light is too low the speed on the camera (ISO) has to be increased so much to ensure the movement can be captured that the photograph becomes grainy and poor quality. Occasionally the photographer wishes to produce a blurred effect but it is unpredictable and photographs can turn out with two heads!

The second challenge in dance photography is to capture the magical moment because the dancers are moving so this can be a split second of time. My experience as a dancer is important because I am used to following the music. The music dictates not only the steps but also the emotional content of a ballet. The two are inseparable. The feeling and the passion is what I strive to capture in all my work.

What are your plans for the future?
Two of my passions are dance and travel. I want to combine the two and over the next 5 to 6 years to photograph different disciplines of dance. I would like to travel to Spain and capture the essence and passion of the Spanish people through their Flamenco dance and Salsa. I would like to photograph Tango in the bars and dance halls of Argentina and Indian Dance both in India and in this country.

I also have a strong interest in dance in the West End musicals and contemporary dance in this country and in New York. Ballroom dancing in the UK would be wonderful to photograph as this country has produced so many World Champions. After photographing each discipline I want to exhibit a selection of my work in the ISTD2 gallery and eventually produce a book on the ‘Passion of Dance’.

Victoria Blackburn

To find out more about Elaine's exhibition visit her website
www.elainemaysonphotography.co.uk

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