Men in Motion: The Art and Passion of the Male Dancer [Hardcover]

Francois Rousseau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2009

François Rousseau, author of the best-selling Locker Room Nudes, affords us private and exclusive access to more than 60 dancers from across the world, and the world of dance. Members of classical dance companies, including Opera de Paris and the New York City Ballet, and contemporary dance troupes, such as Alvin Ailey and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane, as well as dancers from disciplines as diverse as Broadway, hip hop, acrobatic, and folk are spotlighted both on and offstage. Rousseau captures the innate eroticism of these artists as they pose, prepare, and perform. These men, whether seen in their most personal times of self-reflection or public moments under the spotlight, are proof that the body is truly a thing of beauty. Whether solo or en masse, their energy and virility leaps from the stage, and the page.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Drawn from the diverse worlds of ballet, modern dance, folk dance and even breakdancing, the professionals that grace its pages are captured on the stage and in the studio, en masse and solo, displaying strength, poise and artistry in both their visages and their bodies. In contrast to
Locker Room Nudes, the subjects here are captured mostly in motion, highlighting not only the beauty of their forms but also the amazing athleticism and musculature gained from a life of dedication to their chosen art." ~MetroSource.com

About the Author

François Rousseau began his photography career in 1995, after spending ten years as a painter. A highly sought-after commercial photographer, his work has been featured in magazines across the world. His photographs are showcased in Locker Room Nudes, as well as in several other books and galleries around the world.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Universe (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789318792
• ISBN-13: 978-0789318794
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 0.8 x 13.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #423,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'People walk, run, jump, bounce, collide, and float.', November 7, 2009

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Men in Motion: The Art and Passion of the Male Dancer (Hardcover)

François Rousseau has created a large following, from those who own his books to those celebrities he has photographed to the aficionados of sport and of fashion. This major scale book is devoted not to the game athletes as was his other popular volume but to dance athletes and as such it is one of the more informed and sophisticated books of the many possibilities of muscular function published. MEN IN MOTION: THE ART AND PASSION OF THE MALE DANCER is an appropriate title as Rousseau is as fascinated with capturing the state of art to which these many dancers have achieved as he is to focusing on the uncanny feats displayed by the human body in response to choreography and music.

As Rousseau states in his introduction, 'The mission of a dancer is not to exhibit his body as an object, but rather to use his body to interpret and express art; to use the body he has, in the space he has, to put forth the felling and the meaning within his dance.' What Rousseau offers in this beautifully designed and produced volume by Universe are pages of photographs of individual dancers - some at rest but most in motion - executing powerful leaps and lifts as well as photographs of groups of dancers in concert and at rest. Almost all are in dance costume; nudity is present but is clearly not the focus of this book. Rousseau elects to combine black and white with color and sepia toned images to provide stunning contrasts. One double page spread is of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with some 26 male dancers in motion under the lead of premier dancer William Credell and is a dramatic, physically challenging study of men in motion.

This elegant book is a must for lovers of dance, whether classical ballet or contemporary interpretation, but it is also a study in anatomy for the students of sculpture, so finely captured is the power and tension of the male body in motion. This is an Art Book of the first order. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, November 09

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars -- a book to savor, December 26, 2009

By 

hh "hh01" (West Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Men in Motion: The Art and Passion of the Male Dancer (Hardcover)

Capturing bodies in motion is not that difficult. Capturing bodies in motion at a critical moment of extension or interpersonal tension is extremely difficult and Rousseau has succeeded in making visual magic with much of this book. I can remember the frustration of watching a ballet live and wanting to freeze (in real time) the moment that made me gasp. Of course, I couldn't. I could only hope that it might be repeated in an encore. And dance videos, even of Baryshnikov or NDT1 or Ailey or DV8 never really allowed me the luxury of a frozen moment either. If I hit pause, I'd wind up with a somewhat blurry representation of the moment (and often, just prior to the greatness or just post). So, Rousseau's keen eye and successful efforts are much appreciated. The moments captured for his photo essay are often encore-worthy (Yosef's darting diagonal; Bond's profile-driven statement of elegance and strength; Chaillet's leap that is so magnificently lit by Rousseau that you imagine it would take hundreds of retakes to capture it again; Cava's architectural pose that grinds anatomy against gravity; others). Yes, there are some posed shots (breathers?) that look mundane compared to the best of the action shots, but all in all, this is a book to savor.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE, August 4, 2010

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dramamark - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Men in Motion: The Art and Passion of the Male Dancer (Hardcover)

This beautifully photographed collection of male portraits is an excellent study in just how demanding and physical the art of dance is. Francois Rousseau has captured some extraordinary images of solo and group performers that are a joy to admire. As a gift or for a personal collction, this incredible selection of photographs will give much pleasure to any fan of the male body and the art of dance.