Welcome to Workman’s #30DaysofGiving! This holiday season, we will be excerpting from some of our favorite books of the year and giving readers the chance to win a copy. Follow along by visiting our master digital advent calendar, and use the hashtag #30DaysofGiving on social media for daily updates.

DANCERS AFTER DARK by Jordan Matter (Day 15)

The following passage is excerpted from the book.

What began with a spontaneous shoot in an alley behind my studio evolved into a two-year obsession. By May of 2016 I had photographed more than 300 performers in over 400 locations around Europe and North America. Though I still loved every single shoot, it was finally time to be finished. Publishing deadlines were looming.

Two days before my final deadline, I got this email from friend and photographer Charlie Naebeck: What if you invite some of the dancers who posed for the book to join you tomorrow night for one final shoot? That would be a really awesome way to celebrate the project.

Charlie was right; I had to go out with a bang. I emailed some dancers and they called their friends. The next evening, twenty-five beautiful performers arrived in Washington Square Park at 10:00 p.m. The largest group I had ever photographed for anything was fourteen dancers, and they were clothed!

I had been looking forward to this all day, but now that the moment had arrived, I was very anxious. Usually challenges excite me, but this felt different. I had no idea what to do. What’s more, Susan Bolotin, the Big Kahuna from Workman Publishing, was there, along with a videographer, two photographers, a bunch of assistants, and every dog walker in downtown Manhattan. Failure would not go unnoticed.

I hemmed and hawed for a while, making small talk and passing out coffee. Then around 10:45 p.m., Charlie walked up to me and said with a huge smile, “Go big or go home, brother.” That was the kick in the butt I needed. I yelled out to get everyone’s attention. “All right, let’s start with one dancer and build from there.”

Everyone got into the act. People broke off into groups, and dancers were choreographing each other. The creative energy was frenetic and inspiring. By 11:45 p.m., it was time to shoot. The idea was so ambitious that excitement was palpable throughout the park. A big crowd of people had gathered behind me, and everyone went silent as I called out, “On three, drop your clothes and run into position. One . . . two . . . THREE!”

They stayed in position for forty-three seconds, but it felt like an hour. When I yelled, “BREAK!” the park erupted into spontaneous applause for what these brave and talented dancers had just accomplished. I reviewed the photos and announced that we got it! The shot, the evening, and the project were done!

Five minutes later the police arrived, closing down a park we had all assumed stayed open all night. My streak of zero arrests remained intact!

The party lasted until 4:00 a.m., but the memories will last a lifetime.

 

About the Book:

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.

Buy the Book
Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Workman

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