The Lost Dancers

Link to Photo Book: The Lost Dancers

In the year 2025, the Covid Pandemic rages on with the hopes of a vaccine nowhere in sight. Dancing has been declared illegal with social distancing unable to accommodate for such an intimate social practice. A group of radicals take to the streets to remind the world there was a time when people could dance.

Through the undertaking of this project I was able to become more intimate with my camera. I forced myself into shooting in manual mode by choosing a concept that involved night time photography and long exposure shots, both of which produce undesirable photos in automatic. This photo book is personal to me in many ways, themes of loss and isolation is something that comes readily to my mind this year. The shifting of the world as a result of the current Pandemic has had massive repercussions on the arts, particularly professional dancers. I miss dancing leisurely, particularly with strangers; its capability to stimulate feelings of freedom and promote social cohesion. I wanted to convey this loss by shooting in black and white, portraying a bleak future that highlights the dangerous road we are potentially heading toward. A loss of identity was also implied with the long exposure shots of dancers in motion, contrasting the city shots by having them warm and colourful whilst also providing a glimmer of hope for the future. Photography in this project has allowed me to create something that captures a moment in time that is both poignant and political. 

When Winston Churchill was asked to cut arts funding to support the war effort, he replied: “Then what are we fighting for?”

Models: (without their participation the art would be obsolete)

Ben Butler

Eliza Hew

James Swan

Karen Butler

Maison Levot

Sofie Butler