Lessons in the art of dance photography

CHENNAI: “The danger of a camera in front of a moving body is converting it into a still body and still bodies are very boring,” said art critic Sadanand Menon. Participating in a panel discussion on dance photography at the Goethe Institut, Nungambakkam recently, he went on to add that capturing the essence of the moment with a camera was highly difficult. “You have to have your eyes, mind and breath on the same axis. Otherwise, it’s gone,” he said. “You also need to have tremendous anticipation to be able to tell what the dancers on stage are going to do even before they do it and capture it.”The event, which was held as part of the inauguration of the photography exhibition Memories of a Beautiful Mind, also had the photographer of the exhibition, Dev Nayak present. The Kolkata-based documentary photographer, in his photographs, has captured Bamboo Blues, the last dance theatre performance in India by German performer and choreographer of Modern Dance, Philippina ‘Pina’ Bausch.Adding to Sadanand’s observations, Dev observed that when dancers put out their work, they would want the audience to see it the way they had planned it in their minds, and not necessarily the way the photographer captured it. Which is why, according to him, Pina and her troupe did not allow him to photograph any of their backstage or rehearsal sessions. “Their hesitancy (in being photographed during rehearsals) is real. They see it as an intrusion. Sometimes, even as an attempt to re-choreograph,” agreed Sadanand. Another point that Sadanand and Dev concurred on was that photographers live off the others’ work. “We only live off the work of others,” Dev explained. “The subject is the star; the photograph is just the object of communication.”About the exhibition, Dev said, “The speciality of the photos are that I have captured some of the Indian references that she has used in her performance – the Durga pooja, Lord Ganesha, street dances and even the call centre culture.” However, Dev admitted, “There was a lot of running on stage, with much speed, élan and grace. The photographs represent only five per cent of the whole performance.” (The photographs are on display at the Goethe Institut till February 17.)