Getting Closer: A Dancer's Perspective [Hardcover]

Rosalie O'Connor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2004

Former American Ballet Theatre dancer Rosalie O'Connor gives us an intimate look at one of America's greatest dance companies, a glimpse of unforgettable moments both behind the curtain and onstage during her 15 years with the company.

            O'Connor's black-and-white images capture the emotions of dancers and choreographers at their most unguarded--intense, vulnerable, exhilarated, and exhausted. Because of her position with the company, O'Connor had unlimited access to her colleagues and an unrestricted view from the wings. Her photos record the dancers' rigorous daily routines in rehearsal studios and their pre-performance preparations. The images reflect the trust and familiarity between O'Connor and her fellow dancers. And they catch breath-taking moments in performance as a dancer attains the height of a leap or executes a perfect arabesque.

             This book documents the company from 1996 to 2002. O'Connor provides the story behind each photo and quotes from the dancers themselves. Dance luminaries also offer brief comments and insights: Natalia Makarova on how she passes on the tradition of classical ballet through coaching; Mark Morris about his approach to restaging his own work; Susan Jaffe on the final bow of her career; and Alessandra Ferri on dancing opposite Julio Bocca's Romeo.

            Mikhail Baryshnikov invited O'Connor to join the ABT in 1987, and she danced in roles choreographed by such icons as George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, and Agnes de Mille. 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, the photography became therapeutic and life-affirming. During the nine months she was unable to dance, 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.

            This handsome collection is a testament to her inner resolve, as well as a portrait of the private and public worlds of ballet. 

 

Editorial Reviews

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.
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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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; 1st edition (November 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813027683
• ISBN-13: 978-0813027685
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,901,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Getting Closer" to Perfection, October 13, 2004

By 

Frank Glass (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Getting Closer: A Dancer's Perspective (Hardcover)

Dance is a notoriously difficult art to capture and hold onto. Even film rarely serves it well. Odd then that Rosalie O'Connor's incandescent photographs of her friends and colleagues at ABT as they rehearse, prepare, and perform should erupt so spontaneously with movement and emotion. I don't know why this should be: maybe it's her artist's eye; maybe it's her steady hand; maybe it's her obvious rapport with dancers, her knowledge and love of dance; maybe it's just incredible good luck. Whatever the reason, the results are astonishingly beautiful and present in this book. The accompanying text, by Ms. O'Connor and some of her subjects, is a wonderful bonus that both illuminates and grounds the images, even as they take flight. My only quibble is with the paper stock the University Press of Florida chose for this remarkable offering: it allows us to enjoy Ms. O'Connor's art, that's true enough; but it certainly doesn't do that art justice.