The Ballet Camp

At the Ballet Camp, the leader shouts instructions beneath a large green and white striped tent. "Shoulder up - shoulder down - right - left." The fifty dancers writhe in unison. Control. "On your toes - up - down." Total control. The formation moves as a single unit. What is the control I have over my photographs? Some? None? How much control do I think I have while exposing?

Wandering up a hill to the second large tent, I stop to watch a group of fifty dancers form a circle. Music begins: the pianist rapidly begins to segue from one musical style to another. The leader initiates a dance statement and passes it to the dancer directly beside. Each individual improvises in quick succession, creating a wave of motion throughout the circle. Short choppy music becomes sharp staccato movements. Lyrical music produces grace. Jazz gives eccentricity.

How these dancers practice! Though they work hard: yet their chance for performance, let alone acclaim, is so limited. I've exposed many images; and yet produced so few photographs. I also was practicing.