Customer Reviews

Tutu

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tutu strips away the reserve of classical ballet and its theatrical facade to expose the human being behind the artist. Barrett probes beneath the dancer's skin, and the trust and sense of freedom revealed in each photograph makes us feel as though we all have the ability to move in this way - alas, we do not. Tutu is about artistry and love and lust. It is a book about beauty. I defy anyone not to get stuck on page 99.

Greg Barrett has an innate sense of capturing a dancers' soul on film and transferring it to print. If these dancers could only speak, it would make for scintillating dialogue! Tutu will become a well used item on your coffee table. It's unsurpassed!

The tension between the formality and the intimacy of the photography in Tutu is mesmerizing. These dancers, and this photographer, are simply extraordinary. I loved this book and recommend it unreservedly.

I have always been one to believe that photographers who specialize in capturing the grace of the human body and ballet dancers can collaborate to produce the most sensational photographic images. The photos in "Tutu," by Australian photographer Greg Barrett, are very good at depicting the artistry of dance and the beauty of the ballet body, but there is one glaring drawback: the smallness of the images nearly kills the impact of both the artistic technique and the beauty of the dancer's form. My decision to give this a 3-star rating is due solely to my dissatisfaction with the published product, not with its artistic content.

I find no fault whatsoever with Mr. Barrett's methodology for highlighting a dance company's (all the subjects are members of The Australian Ballet) grace and talent through photography. In his words from the introductory Monologue, the photographer recounts: "One lens. The same lighting all the way through. Minimal props. No trampolines. No manipulation of the images." The result is nearly 150 b/w photos of dancers in amazing positions, some as if frozen in mid-air. Lois Greenfield ("Breaking Bounds") mastered this imagery in the early 1980's with great results. The dancers (a small percentage nude or semi-nude) are great at revealing their expertise at physical expression. The images are very good, and they show vitality although, from a strictly technical standpoint, the photographic quality could have been better (Mr. Barrett admits that he "couldn't [have used] a much worse camera for shooting dance photography." Still, each and every photo in "Tutu" is worth a look.

My only major criticism is that this collection of photos does not do justice to the dance imagery because they are simply way too small. The book's pages measure about 6" x 7", which results in some of the images being tiny, barely 2" x 2" in some cases. In comparison to the works of others (Greenfield and Howard Schatz come to mind), this book left me frustrated and longing for the impact I got from similarly-themed works by other photographers.

Believe me, these are good photos. But, given the talent of everyone involved in this collaboration, a larger presentation would have produced a book definitely worthy of more than three stars.

This is the best dance photography book I have ever seen. It appeals to every part of me being sexy, innovative, stimulating, beautiful and inspirational. A terrific addition to any book-lovers' collection.

Tutu is an absolutely inspirational book. It is a lyrical and insightful study of dance and human movement. These are not just pictures - you really feel like you know the dancers. It is the kind of book that reminds you how powerful and creative a photographer and camera can be. This should be on every art lover's bookshelf.

Dance lovers, whether modern or classical, will relish this book. Superb photographs, one after another, attest Barrett's unerring sense with subject and shutter to ensure in every one a unique moment fixed memorably.

This is, perhaps, my favorite book of photographs. The photographer uses his gift of vision and art to expose the soul of dance and captures the beauty of the human body. The dancer's he has chosen are the stongest and most fit, clearly talented, and willing to defy the bodies natural positioning. These dancers aren't wimps! The photographs are black and white, each conveying a message or emotion. This photoraphy puts one at ease with the uncovered, natural form of various portions of the dancers body. (Not a children's book) I love this book- It's just magnificent and beautiful!

I appreciated the aesthetic qualities of the dancer's bodies and abilities as the theme of the book. I also appreciated the photographer's focus on that aspect of dance. However, the book is called "Tutu"- so I expected more, well, tutus.

An excellent example of Greg Barrett's work with dancers. The photos reflect the joy in dancing as well as the flexibility and dedication to the art.