THE MASLOOL DANCE PROGRAM
In December 2017 while on a trip to Israel, I arranged to do a series of portraits of dancers with The Maslool Professional Dance Program in Tel Aviv. For this project, I also included male students for the first time and continued to use natural light and pre-existing backgrounds. I found the students to be talented, warm and receptive. As the session progressed I was drawn in by the individual stories of each subject and how they interpreted my visual cues, turning simple instructions into very personal expressions of who they were.
Over 75% of the Maslool students are serving in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) as privileged outstanding dancers. This status gives the dancers the opportunity to study at Maslool in a two-year program while at the same time serving in the IDF in a special job that can allow them the time to dance. Maslool has a successful record in placing its graduates in both professional dance companies in Israel and well-known dance academies in Europe.
I would like to thank Alexandra Wells for the introduction to the dance school and to Roy Bedarshi for organizing the photography sessions.