Book (p)review: Jordan Matter: Dancers among us - A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday
Monday, 16/02/2015
Workman Publishing, 2012
Dancers are storytellers. They're trained to capture passion with their bodies. The often create a fantasy world or offer us a deeper look into familiar settings. They bring to life what we feel but what most of us, lacking their artistry and athleticism, are unable to express physically.
Jordan Matter
Concert and festival photography has been my great passion for some time, but the truth is that all kind of stage performance (e.g. theatre) makes me feel those little butterflies of excitement in my stomach. Besides music, I’ve been honoured to photograph dancers and dance performances for few years now, privileged to work with well known dance school and production house Plesna Izba Maribor in the town where I live in. So, my (p)review of this book that focuses on dancers and not musicians shouldn’t be surprise to any of my blog’s regular readers.
Jeffrey Smith, New York, NY
That said, I have to admit that two months ago, I didn’t know anything about the photographer Jordan Matter, let alone of his famous photo project "Dancers among us". In preproduction for the photoshoot I had with two young and very talented Slovenian dancers Monja Lorenčič and Domen Žugelj recently, it was they who told me about Mr. Matter and his great photos. I googled him, loved what he is doing and ordered this book via fabulous Book Depository (free delivery worldwide) immediately. Although there were a lot of images from this project already online, the book has actually so much more - if you like what you see on the official’s project website, you’ll love the book, simple as that!
Marissa Quimby, Seattle, WA
The basic idea behind this photos is dancers doing their thing in usual, everyday situations. Dancers being "fully alive in the moment, unself-conscious, present". Dancers being dancers! Amazing as the photos from this project are (no photo-shopping, trampolines or hidden wires here, as author proudly states), Jordan Matter’s own story is in a way even more amazing. He wanted to become a professional baseball player, majored in theatre, worked as actor, and after one Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition that changed his life, became a photographer. Coming from an artistic family (he is a grandson of Herbert and Mercedes Matter, a very successful photographer and painter, respectively, and the son of filmaker Alex Matter and Ford model Paula Feiten), this actually shouldn’t be a big surprise. Inspirational, nevertheless.
Parisa Khobdeh, Yankees Stadium, NY
Great ideas + brilliant dancers = amazing photographs
The book is divided into seven chapters (with titles like "Dreaming", "Loving", "Playing", "Exploring") and every chapter has a short but very inspirational intro text not about dance and dancers per se, but about authors life, family, children, love, death and similar themes. Every image in the book has a title, the name of the dancer(s) and a location, while few of the images are supplemented with 4-5 images of the same scene, showing us that to get that perfect moment of that millisecond, is actually hard work - great addition to the book! But, the real gem is "Behind the scene" section that talks about some of the images in the book, and is an excellent bonus content, especially for photographers!
What happens to this enthusiasm, this ability to be wholly present in the moment? Why are these pure moments of passion so often replaced with cynicism, boredom, and indifference? As I played with my son, I thought about creating photographs that would show the world as if through his eyes. The people in the images would be alive and in the moment, celebrating all aspects and emotions of everyday life.
Jordan Matter
Jordan Matter has been shooting dancers for this project for three years and all around the United States (he still does it, and now around the world) and he had dancers traveling seven hours just to do a shoot with him. The photographs in the book (and some new ones on the site) are so amazing, that just to pick few ones that I included in this blogpost, has been a tough call.
Matt Oaks, Astoria, NY
To summarise, "Dancers among us - A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday" is an awesome book of even more awesome project, that I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in dance and/or dance photography!
All photographs published with author's permission.
Evgeniya Chernukhina, Philadelphia, PA Photo: © Jordan Matter
Kristin DeCesare and Jessica Press, New York, NY Photo: © Jordan Matter
Noble Motion Dance, Houston, TX Photo: © Jordan Matter
Lisa Cole, New York, NY Photo: © Jordan Matter
Product info
Dancers among us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday
Author: Jordan Matter
Format: Paperback, 240 pages
Publisher: Workman Publishing
Published: November 2012
ISBN-10: 0761171703
ISBN-13: 978-0761171706
Website: www.dancersamongus.com
Get your copy at:
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Lucija Jalincienė
Tuesday, 19/04/2022
Continuing with photographing dancers in my photo studio in Maribor, my next dancer was amazing Lucija Jalincienė, another dancer that I photographed performing many, many times in the past.
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Vanja Kolanovič
Tuesday, 12/04/2022
First in my new series of dancers in studio photoshoots features amazing dancer and dance teacher Vanja Kolanovič :)
Plesni utripi 1&2
Lutkovno gledališče Maribor, Maribor (Slovenia), 22/03 > 23/03/2022
"Plesni utripi" featured dance schools and groups from Maribor region and it was divided into two nights - some amazing performances there, I really enjoyed it photographing!
37. Zimska plesna šola / 37th Winter dance school
Zimska plesna šola / Winter dance school, Maribor (Slovenia), 25/02 > 28/02/2022
My 8th Winter dance school in a row, but this time in a way different.
Kup kuncev (400 rabbits)
Odprta plesna scena, Maribor (Slovenia), 24/06/2021
30. Odprta plesna scena (30th Open Dance Scene)
Third and the last day of the annual 30. Odprta plesna scena (30th Open dance scene) festival brought the dynamic duo of Marina Abib and Beno Novak with their performance "Kup kuncev" (400 rabbits) which was a pure joy to photograph :)
Plesni utripi mladih
Odprta plesna scena, Maribor (Slovenia), 22/06/2021
30. Odprta plesna scena (30th Open Dance Scene)
First night of 30th Open Dance Scene was reserved for "Plesni utripi mladih" (Youth Dance Beats) - presentation of dance miniatures of young dancers from various local dance schools and selection for Živa, the Festival of young dance creativity in Slovenia.
32. Zimska plesna šola / 32nd Winter dance school
Zimska plesna šola / Winter dance school, Maribor (Slovenia), 24/02 > 27/02/2017
This past weekend I was very happy and privileged, to document 32nd Winter dance school (32. Zimska plesna šola) - my third in a roll - that was organised by JSKD and held in Plesna izba Maribor. Full of very talented young dancers and their great mentors, this workshop was again, just as last two years, a joy to photograph! :)
Mično pomično 2015 - Gathering of belly dance groups in Maribor
Dom kulture Pekre, Pekre (Slovenia), 05/06/2015
Besides live music and festivals, dance is probably my favourite subject to photograph, so when I got a chance to shoot gathering of local belly dance groups last week, I was immediately on board! :)
30. Zimska plesna šola / 30th Winter dance school
Zimska plesna šola / Winter dance school, Maribor (Slovenia), 20/02 > 23/02/2015
Last weekend, I've been very privileged to photograph amazing young dancers from whole Slovenia (plus some foreign guests) with their amazing mentors, during the 30th Winter dance school (30. Zimska plesna šola). Such passion and talent in one place - simply, for a lack of better word, amazing!
Zima se mi rima - zimska plesna produkcija Plesne Izbe Maribor
Dvorana Union, Maribor (Slovenia), 31/01/2015
Plesna izba Maribor's annual winter dance show production
Continuing our great collaboration with Maribor’s well know dance school & dance company Plesna Izba Maribor, I documented another annual winter show production of the most of their different classes - from small kids to jazz and modern/contemporary dancers!
Moment - Monja & Domen - the dancing couple, a quick photo shoot
Monday, 22/12/2014
Monja Lorenčič and Domen Žugelj, known also under their artistic name Moment, are two great, young and very talented dancers from Slovenia that needed some fresh pics for their portfolio - I was very honoured to work with them on a quick photo shoot last month and am sure will do this again, since all three of us had a great time :)
Festival Lent 2014: (Contemporary) dance + children theatre
Festival Lent, Maribor (Slovenia), 20/06 > 05/07/2014
During this 16 days of Festival Lent, I also shoot some (contemporary) dance performances and theatre for children - find some of those images in this gallery :)
E-book (p)review: Matthias Hombauer: Guide To Rockstar Concert Photography
Tuesday, 29/04/2014
Self published (PDF digital e-book), 2014
Exclusive preview of the ultimate manual for concert photographers, young and seasoned ones, that was published just few hours ago!
Book (p)review - Gail Buckland: Who Shot Rock & Roll, A Photographic History, 1955 - Present
Thursday, 15/12/2011
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2009
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MARIBOrient
SNG Maribor, Mali oder, Maribor (Slovenia), 18/11/2011
MARIBOrient is a "musical-visual-dance ritual" by a group called Saltana whose members are oriental dancer Edita Čerče, three musicians (Tadej Furlan, Dani Marinič and Andrej Hrvatin) and a VJ Katja Hrvatin Jazbec.
Photo book "Moj vikend u zemlji čudesa" is out
Friday, 11/11/2011
Photo book documenting the recording of Pips, Chips & Videoclips live DVD "2x2", with 40 pages of good stuff for bands fans
The long awaited day for the release of this DVD is finally here and with that, it gives me great pleasure to say, my self-published photo book also!
Beyond thank you!
Monday, 10/10/2011
My photo to be published in the new 1x.com book
Today I got the final email confirming that my photo "Thank you!" will be published in the new 1x.com book called "Beyond", a yearly showcase of best photographs from the 1x.com site.
Platforma sodobnega plesa 2011
SNG Maribor, Komorni oder, Maribor (Slovenia), 07/09 > 09/09/2011
Platforma sodobnega plesa 2011 was a three day festival of contemporary dance with the emphasis is on local artists who have their starting point in Plesna izba Maribor.
Ljubi kruhek
SNG Maribor, Velika dvorana, Maribor (Slovenia), 24/06/2011
