From the article and slideshow at the Daily Mail concerning Rachel Papo’s series “Desperately Perfect”:
A New-York based photographer has offered a rare glimpse inside a Russian ballet institution where students dedicate all of their time from age 10 to 18, training twelve hours a day and six days a week.
Rachel Papo, who was raised in Israel and trained by Russian dance teachers as a child, spent five weeks in St Petersburg, photographing every aspect of the renowned Vaganova Ballet Academy and its young dancers.
Her stunning photo series entitled Desperately Perfect explores the physical and psychological pressures, as well as challenges, faced by the students obsessively striving for a ‘level of perfection that is always out of reach.’
Browse the series “Desperately Perfect” at ClampArt
Browse all of Rachel Papo’s work at ClampArt