"Water Dance"

c-print (Cibachrome)

Water Dance is a famous collection of underwater photographs by renowned American photographer Howard Schatz, published in the 1990s. The series combines the elegance of dance with the unique properties of water, such as weightlessness, clarity, reflection and light refraction. The photographs show dancers, mostly from the world of classical ballet, in impressive and often surreal poses made possible by the weightlessness of water.
Schatz worked with technically skilled and expressive dancers and models to depict the movements and form of the human body in a different dimension. The images are characterized by an aesthetic blend of light, color, design and movement that pushes the boundaries of traditional dance photography. They are both artistic and mystical and convey the feeling of being immersed in a dream world.
Howard Schatz, originally an ophthalmologist, switched to photography and gained international recognition with projects such as Water Dance and Pool Light.
(Christoph Fuchs)