Dancers After Dark

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Pub Date 18 Oct 2016 | Archive Date 02 Dec 2016

Description

Dancers After Dark is an amazing celebration of the human body and the human spirit, as dancers, photographed nude and at night, strike poses of fearless beauty.

Without a permit or a plan, Jordan Matter led hundreds of the most exciting dancers in the world out of their comfort zones—not to mention their clothes—to explore the most compelling reaches of beauty and the human form. After all the risk and daring, the result is extraordinary: 300 dancers, 400 locations, more than 150 stunning photographs. And no clothes, no arrests, no regrets.

Each image highlights the amazing abilities of these artists—and presents a core message to the reader: Say yes rather than no, and embrace the risks and opportunities that life presents.

 
Dancers After Dark is an amazing celebration of the human body and the human spirit, as dancers, photographed nude and at night, strike poses of fearless beauty.

Without a permit or a plan, Jordan...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780761189336
PRICE $19.95 (USD)

Average rating from 37 members


Featured Reviews

Jordan Matter has captured the "spirit" of dance as it lays bare the soul. The photographs of naked dancers are sensual, but not sexual. They are evocative, but not provocative. Their nudity is a symbol of the freeing of the soul, a necessity for a dancer. This book is a must for anyone who feels the music and the love of expression, even if no one else is listening.

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I love photography books. I love even more that this one took a risk, and that the pictures were stamped first by their time of night taken. The only complaint I have is that I read this in ebook form as an ARC and it didn't let me see two pages at once so the visual experience just doesn't compare to having a photography book hard in your hands.

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I absolutely adored this book - Matter surely knows how to shoot alluring photos. Dancers After Dark is a marvelous invention and bringing something fresh and new to nude photography. The cover alone is perfect and such a good innuendo of what the book contains. I loved that Matter had chosen to do both color and black-and-white photos. The structure works well and the photos are big enough to display fully the beauty of the situations. The quality of the photos was good and the imprint looked very good too. It was a good choice to cut some of the photos to two pages and it was a magical choice, really. I'm glad this is actually a photo book in which we only have photos. The only texts are the locations and it's awesome. The photos speak for themselves! Matter explains some of his choices at the back and that was a great add-on. My only concern is that the aphorism were kind of clichéd and most of them didn't seem to have all that much to do with the photos. They felt superimposed in a sense.

The photos then? They are just beautiful. The postures are awesome and the stillness is something you can actually touch. This makes the models like statues! Amazing. I liked that the dancers were all very different looking and their postures differed a lot too. They all look like they belong where they are and that makes the photos so easy for the eye. The smoothness and the lighting basically make the experience perfect, as well as the awfully clever shooting angles. I should check out more of Matter's photos, he surely has talent and mostly, an eye for beauty.

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What a gorgeous job!

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Despite not really being into art, and knowing nothing about Dance, I really wanted this book and was so glad when I received it that I sat down and went through all of it in one sitting. I LOVED this photography book a ton, it was very beautifully done.

I don't know anything about dance, so I can't tell you anything about the dance poses. I wanted this photography book because I love artistic nudes, and this book didn't disappoint. I am an amateur photographer, so I do know some about composition and every photo had it in spades. Of course I love the photo for the nudes, they were tasteful and wonderfully done and the composition of the photos were just amazing. There was this one shot where lights on a street were lined up perfectly with the moon. Just beautiful.

I loved at the end that the photographer took the time to explain some shots. The whole book was done in the dark and without permissions. It was created over a 2 year time period and all around the world. It was great to hear the stories of how some of the shots came to be or what happened with them. The book starts out with a photo of Alan Cumming, so I was glad to learn how and why that came to be.

It was neat too because most of the photos he talked about were ones that I had taken a little while to linger on. There was just some thing about those ones that made me stop and really study it and some of them I got the behind the scenes on, it was neat. It was funny that one of them really made me stop and look and I didn't know why. It wasn't one of my favorites, it was good but didn't really stand out compared to others, but for some reason I lingered on it and took my time looking it over. In the blurb at the end the photographer explains that the dancer had just gotten engaged before that shot. So neat!

Great photo book. Beautiful in every way. I really loved it!

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I received a digital edition of this book from netgalley, for honest review.

This book is filled with beautiful photographs taken of dancers in the nude in public and at night. Yes, they are all nude. However, there are no genitals on display, for those curious. To my eyes, they are not pornagraphic.

The photographs not only show off the human form and dancing, but also let the locations shine. All without seeming busy. This is a photography book, I would be proud to have out in my home. I also really enjoyed the end of the book which has behind the scenes stories and snapshots of many of the photographs. I liked knowing how some of these were created.

I recommend to fans of photography or dancing.

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EXUBERANCE BEAUTY....
EXTRAORDINARY....
ECSTASY....

THIS BOOK is soooo breathtaking gorgeous ... I can't say this enough - or in enough languages...
This is a ***MUST SEE*** book!!!! MUST MUST MUST experience this book!!!!!!

Jordan Matter spent two years of his life ( I'm amazed it didn't take longer), "exhausted weekly" .... photographing hundreds of amazing performers in many cities and countries around the world. It was the most incredible experience of his life, and he was sad to see it come to an end. What he created is so exceptional, a masterful, artistic, treat, or for the entire world to experience. The author has memories and stories behind every single photograph in this book. I'd sure love to hear some.

For starters.....If you are blessed to be connected with Netgalley... request this book 'now'...( you can buy a physical copy later). Everyone else ...save your pennies ... It's a book you'll want to own - be proud to show you friends. THIS REALLY is the perfect gift book for the Kindle readers who have said...
"No, I don't buy physical books any longer". Sometimes there are exceptions!

A few quotes:
"In the end we will only regret the chances we did not take"....Lewis Carroll

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul".....Martha Graham

"To Be vulnerable is to put the true you on show for the world: that's the most terrifying and rewarding thing a person can do"....Sam Basket
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself"....George Bernard Shaw

"Do something today that your future self will thank you for".... Anonymous

Thank You "Working Publishing Company, Netgalley, and Jordan Matter...( I'm so inspired by you ---I'm speechless). Sooooo Beautiful what you created: Thank you!!!!

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This is a beautiful book filled with artwork dealing with dance and movement and passion and back stories for different photos. It's nudity done in a positive way even in public and you can see every line and muscle in a dancers body. Not only that but each photo is different at different times in different places. My favorite photo is a girl balancing on pointe on a wine glass. Also my other is a pregnant dancer and then months later that same young women as a mom in the same spot. It was an absolutely beautiful photo set to view. I also enjoyed the backstories because some photographs you can get in one take and others it takes 400 or more to get it just right. Anyone who loves dance like I do will enjoy this photo book.

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"Dancing is creating a sculpture that is visible only for a moment"
---Erol Ozan---

For two years Jordan Matter traveled the world to photograph dancers in an urban environment. Often illicit and taken during cold nights or early mornings when the streets were mostly empty, dancers shed their clothes to be immortalized by Matter.

The body is such an amazing thing. Especially when trained, it is capable of doing incredible feats. These dancers went all the way to show what is possible. The nudity enhanced the biological mechanics at work. Toned and defined muscles, nothing sexual, all sensual and passionate expression.

What enhanced the visual imagery, is how buildings and monuments played a part in the composition. Arcs, lines and shapes working together with the fluid curves of the dancers, it all melted together to become one piece of art.

I was in awe of how Matter pulled it all off. And I'm not only thinking of the actual photography, which in itself is superb. Thinking of the public places, and how the nudity could bring unwanted attention, the timing needed to be impeccable.

I also wondered about the lighting, as night photography can be a pain, how he used available light and what he added to it. The setup needed to be mobile, nothing too fancy or too big and able to be dismantled in a second. He needed a lot of planning, but as can be concluded from the anecdotes, there was a lot of improvisation as wel as spontaneity. Kudos!

In the last chapter of the book, behind-the-scenes images were shown together with commentary of how this book and some of the images came together.

And on a final note, the photographer himself had to show his euhm, muscles too.

4.5*

Review copy supplied by publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a rating and/or review.

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Two years of hard work, travel, photographing dancers in different locations, each with its own essence, some with their own stories . These pictures are stunningly beautiful, like some greek gods and goddesses came to life still holding the artist’s pose. Hours and hours were spent on some of these shoots, exposed to the elements for the least amount of time possible, but still. Posting nude dancers at night, mostly in city environments, not easily done when cars are whizzing by or a courtyard is filled with people. Planning this imagery... but it's all worth it, it's all stunning.

Leaving out the perfection of these bodies, the acrobatics of some of the poses, the photography is amazing, gorgeous. You’ll want to own this book.

My favorite photos were Pg 19 11:24pm, Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami, FL Pg 30 – 31
“Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous” – Bill Moyers Pg 53 4:03am, Montmartre, Paris, France – on toe, girl in contortionist pose, leaning against shop windows Pg 100 2:39am, Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA Pg 102 - 103 12:02am, East London, United Kingdom – a bit reminiscent of Gene Kelly’s Dancing in the Rain / Lamppost scene Pg 161 1:42am, New York, NY Pg 189 – 190 12:18am, Montmartre, Paris Pg 198 – 199 1:20am, Graffiti Park, Austin, TX Pg. 200-201
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about dancing in the rain.” – Vivian Greene 2:50am, Main Street, Nyack, NY

The “Behind the Scenes” stories are all worth reading, I especially enjoyed the one relating to the photograph on page 189. Whatever your favorite story is, don’t bypass this section at the end of the book.

Publication Date: 18 October 2016

Many thanks to Workman Publishing Company, NetGalley, and to Jordan Matter

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This is an amazing book. Stunning. Fantastic. This is the work of a genius. The photos are all taken at various times of night, with dancers that are nude, or as nude as you can be in point ballet slippers. There are pictures in the snow, in crowded places and places where you know no one is around.

Hard to choose a favorite. I think they should all be favorites. The one of a very pregnant dancer in Central park, followed by her holding her child 6 months later is so sweet.

All I can think of, when seeing those photos is how much time it took to set up the shots, and how cold the dancers must have been.. The photos are taken all over the western world (I did not see any in the Near or Far East). New York, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Paris, Stockholm and Berlin are favorites, but there are smaller towns as well.

Even better, if that is possible, is the end of the book where the author explains how some of the shots were taken. Amazing work, is all I can say. This will be an excellent "coffee table" book, and be thumbed through again and again.

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I love the "Dancers" books more than I can even say!!!!!!! wow. Just. Wow. Exquisite!

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I’m not sure what I was expecting but Dancers After Dark completely astonished me. For two years, photographer Jordan Matter posed dancers naked in various spots around the world. The movement in these (still) photos is amazing; each photo is a work of art, full of excitement. The dancers are captured in impossible poses.

I have to admit that, as a New Yorker, I was especially thrilled to see the dancers posing in such iconic (yet familiar) places as subway stations and Rockefeller Center. I’ll never look at these places the same way! They have been enhanced by the dancers, made fresh and stunning.

I don’t know anything about the art of photography, but these images are breathtaking.
I can’t wait to get the paper version of this book. There is an interesting section at the end of the book that gives the backstory of this book.

These pictures are unbelievably beautiful and this is a book you’re going to want to own and share with others.

I want to thank Workman Publishing Company, NetGalley, and Jordan matter for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I was really drawn to this book's originality. You may recognize the author, Jordan Matter, from his 2012 bestselling book, "Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday". He has spent the past two years working exclusively on this new work, "Dancers After Dark," which is due to be released October 18, 2016 (available for pre-order now on Amazon). "Dancers After Dark" features a collection of fascinating photographs taken of nude dancers posed in and around many famous places in the world - after the sun goes down.

It's interesting that the dancers are in the nude. After all, in most places in the world it is against the law to be entirely unclothed in public. Part of the premise behind this book was to highlight the photographer's and dancers' fearlessness from being seen, from being caught and from the elements. Their fearlessness to bare body (yes, the author is pictured too!) and soul in the pages of this book and for doing what they love: dancing.

What you see in each photograph are the depth, strength, and vulnerability of the dancers. The lines, the compositions and the backgrounds pull you in and allow you to see the true artistry of both the photographer and the dancers. The photos run the gamut of emotions: fun and saucy, quiet and graceful, energetic and adrenaline-filled and more.

The book is categorized into four sections: ferocious, stability, vulnerability, and ecstasy. Wonderful quotes accompany many of the photos, which bring another level of meaning to the dancers and the photographer so carefully capturing each perfect moment.

The last pages of this coffee table-style book include stories from the author about taking some of his favorite photographs and what they mean to him. I found this part to be especially interesting as it gives us a glimpse of Matter's craft and how he and the dancers worked together to create these images. I wish there were more stories included!

I highly recommend either getting this book in hard cover or checking it out from the library. Digital just doesn't do the double-page photos justice. As a side note, the nudity displayed here is of bare chests and back sides only. The pictures and the quality are very artistic and skillfully done. I was given a digital copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. 5 of 5 stars, impressively.

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Stunning imagery. Crisp lines and flowing stillness. The dancers are all on point and yet there's something so peaceful about them. You can see the grace and regal air in their movements even though there is none really. Absolute gorgeousness.

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Dancers After Dark is a great mix of photography of color and black & white mediums, dancers and locations around the world. The image quality is very vivid and the poses of the dancers add interest to the subjects. I can say only a few of the images felt washed out due to lighting at night, but the subjects always made up for the lighting. I loved the fact that all the images are shot on location and the author adds the times the image was taken. The book is a mix between full page images and quotes from various people and subjects. The quotes don't always a-line with the images in my eyes, however they add another element to the book that makes you take your time while viewing the content. Another feature I loved that you don't often see is at the end of the book they have several behind the scenes images. I found this almost as interesting as the content itself. While they dancers are nude in this book, the nudity is well done and not in your face. I didn't feel this book even came close to the line of porn quality images and stayed very much into the realm of artistic imagery. I reviewed this book for Netgalley and my options are 100% my own. I would suggest this book will be most enjoyed as a hard copy print due to the digital readers not given you the option to see the multi page images as one piece.

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Not set

Overall: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Content: 5/5

A perfect conbination. The lines, the special scenery of the night, the art....a must-buy for dance/ballet lovers.

Not set
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This book is filled with incredible images of not just the beauty of the human body and the feats
that it is capable of but the astounding architecture from around the world.
Or put simply it's naked people in random cities.
In a surprisingly non sexual way.
Beautiful and wonderful all at the same time

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