.Cynthia DuFault.

 

Combining 30 years of stunning imagery ranging in movement genres and settings, award-winning photographer and author of six books, Rose Eichenbaum reveals the humanity, spirit, and the purest essence of hundreds of dancers as they are caught in time through her intuitive composition. Inside the Dancer’s Art is a journey into the dance world, celebrating dancers from the renowned to the pupil and capturing true meaning and artistry within their form.

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With a compelling foreword written by Lar Lubovitch and an introduction by Eichenbaum about a life in dance and her intent as a photographer, the tone is set for a book of original photographs organized by the artist. Accompanying page after page of exquisite photographs are quotes by the artists, expressing what dance represents in their lives. One of my favorites is by Yuriko, a former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and one of the foremost authorities on the Graham technique. “Look at what’s happening in the world, in our century. Use your imagination and the human body to demonstrate life and the human condition. That’s dance!” (83). As profound and inspiring as all the artists’ declarations are, the images of the dancers reveal the truth in their every word.

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The final portion of the book gives a brief history of each artist and company photographed. Among these are Bill T. Jones, Chita Rivera, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Paul Taylor, Pina Bausch, and dancers from Pilobolus, American Repertory Dance Company, American Ballet Theatre, and many, many more. This section of the book also describes the original use of each photo. This includes more than 30 national magazine covers and numerous exhibitions. If the body of the book were not captivating enough, the final pages reveal the significant mark that this esteemed photographer has made on dance.

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This book traces the arc of the author’s photographic artistry through the trajectory of her career, which has produced some of today’s most iconic and recognizable photos. Eichenbaum takes the viewer into the intimate and vulnerable personas of each dancer—beyond revealing the artistic beauty of the photographs themselves. The book will inspire anyone who appreciates the moving and expressive body as well as the psychology of impassioned beings.

- Cynthia DuFault, MFA

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