Wednesday, September 28, 2005

On Assignment: Greenville, North Carolina-Day Two

BalletLoRes
"Take Five" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight was interesting. I was shooting a ballet class, and it blew me away. Those girls could bend and jump and stretch in ways that were amazing. And, they could spin around on one foot without hitting the ground. It was awesome because I know that in a million years, I could never do the same things.

I think the thing that draws me to this shot is not the girl spinning in the foreground, but the girl still and resting on the bar in the background. They stretched and danced and balanced the entire time I was in there. I know it must have been extremely tiring and trying. The concentration they possessed was brilliant, totally focused, almost mechanical as the instructor called out positions and moves for them to follow. Yeah, the girl lounging in the back was totally uncharacteristic of the whole experience. Things were very proper and structured, and this was the total opposite. That's why the resting girl is so important: She showed that she was still human, and even ballerinas must take five.