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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Ten: A Walk in the Park – only minutes away > The Dancer, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2003
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13-NOV-2003

The Dancer, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2003

There are many ways to express the beauty of dance with a camera. We can blur action (as I did in my image of Russian folk dancers at: http://www.pbase.com/image/20798795) or we can stop action as I do in this shot of a Native American dancer in mid-performance. What tell us that he is dancing is not his arms or feet, but the slight blur in the feathers that float above his head. This abstracted approach works as an expression of a dance performance because of the emphasis on costume, color, and facial expression. It seems as if he has danced himself into a trance -- his eyes are shut, mouth open, and his face is framed in the vivid primary colors of his costume. The rest is left to our imaginations.

Canon PowerShot G5
1/800s f/4.0 at 28.8mm full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis17-Nov-2003 18:17
Hi, Carol -- I guess you could view this man as "playing" a musical instrument if you wanted to. He is actually dancing -- his "instrument" has become his own body, moving through space in time to the beat of the drums. You are right -- timing and concentration is what this shot is all about.
Carol E Sandgren17-Nov-2003 06:26
I do like the fact that we are left to wonder what it is this man is playing. His expression gives away that it is something that requires much timing and concentration.
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