Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Book Review - Dancers Among Us, Jordan Matter



Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday

 

Jordan Matter


Category: Nonfiction: Photography

Synopsis: Matter photographs professional dancers planted in real-life situations.

Date finished: 26 May 2013

Rating: ****½

Comments:
This is a very charming book. Amazon has been trying to convince me of that for months, so when I was asked to order the book for our library, I stuck my “personal notification” in it when it came in. The photographs are categorized into several categories (love, playing, working, etc.), and each chapter has a short biographical essay by the photographer. I enjoyed these little essays—little glimpses into a regular guy’s life.

In the back of the book is a section in which Matter discusses the behind-the-scenes of almost all of the photographs in the book. This was very interesting. As a dance-illiterate and photography-illiterate person, this information really helped me see what went into individual scenes. The explanations also offered some hilarious, serendipitous, and, at times, criminal, stories. Don’t skip the stories if you “read” the book.

The photographs themselves are fabulous. Captured so apparently effortlessly, I had to keep reminding myself how difficult those moves must have been. No tricks were used in the execution of the dance moves or the editing of the photographs. There is at least one that made my head spin, it was so daring. Some were beautiful. Some were funny. All were captivating.

I’ve added this book to my Amazon Wish List, because they were right. I was charmed.

Would you recommend this to a friend?
Yes. It would be a great gift for the person who has everything. And a great gift for someone who needs a little joy in paper form.


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