The Art of
Movement In their exquisite award-winning book, photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory celebrate the beauty of movement and dance
INTERVIEW EDEL CASSIDY
I
n 2014, husband-and-wife team Ken Browar and Deborah Ory began shooting contemporary dancers for a personal project. As word spread among professional dancers and dance enthusiasts, demand grew for
their work and the NYC Dance Project was born. With a growing body of work, they decided to produce a hardcover coffeetable book. The Art of Movement contains over 300 pages featuring more than seventy dancers from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Alvin Ailey, Royal Danish Ballet, the Royal Ballet, and many more. The arresting images are dramatic, energetic and elegant, capturing the beauty and skill of their graceful subjects. In conversation with Edel Cassidy, Deborah talks about her love of dance, how the project came about and plans for a second book to be launched next year.
Your love and knowledge of ballet, com-
married Ken [Browar] who was also a
bined with your mastery of photogra-
photographer.
phy, were essential elements in produc-
The inspiration for our book, The Art
ing this beautiful book. When and how
of Movement, came from decorating our
did you make the decision to embark on
then 13-year-old daughter’s room. Sarah
this project and publish the book?
was an aspiring ballerina, studying at
I had grown up dancing and only started
the American Ballet Theatre school, and
photography while I was injured in
wanted her room filled with dance pho-
college. I photographed the rehearsals
tographs. We made extensive searches
I should have been a part of and found
at bookstores, online and in galleries.
I loved photographing dance. I pursued
We weren’t able to find photographs of
photography as my career and later
the current dancers that Sarah admired.
Indiana Woodward, Soloist, New York City Ballet
52 AUTUMN 2018 ANTHOLOGY
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