Shining in the Spotlight

Here is a photo of some stillness and beauty on stage, in black and white. One figure stands on its own under the warm luminance of spotlights, body bent forward with arms extended in an elegant reach. Her long dress pools on the ground, soft and light, so that she seems almost to be a shape caught in mist. Ceiling lights beamed through the smoky air, like those in some distant galaxy.

The dancer is off to the side, with a lot of dark area surrounding her. This absence makes her all the more present. Each movement is complex, purposeful and expressive. The girl’s arms move languorously, her fingers unhinged and it appears she is painting in the air with her dance. The mist at her back gets thrown up, catching light and creating depth in the scene as if its shadow and its bight have been made to dance together.

Not least is the stillness that reverberates throughout the image. You can almost hear the silence that would have been in the room when she spoke — with only barely audible music, or just her dress swooshing across the stage. Physically and spatially, the absence of color strips away all distractions reducing movement and light to their material essence.