From Eva Clifford’s article for Feature Shoot:
Raised in Israel and trained as a dancer from a young age, the now NYC-based photographer Rachel Papo, decided to revisit the experience of being a young ballet student. Re-immersing herself within the environment, Papo came across scenes that resonated with her own experiences as a dancer, capturing a world she’d consciously drifted away from. Through sheer persistence, she was granted rare access into a Russian ballet institution and emerged with a body of work shot mainly using medium-format, which demonstrates a well-trained eye for composition and colour, and explores the pressures and challenges faced both physically and psychologically by these young dancers.
Browse the series “Desperately Perfect” at ClampArt
Browse all of Rachel Papo’s work at ClampArt