Ballet in the Streets:
Dance photography as seen by a dancer
Ottawa-Gatineau, Jan 5, 2012 — In collaboration with Avant-Garde Bar & Gallery, new artist and trained dancer, Mercedes Déziel-Hupé presents her very first photographic exhibition. Ballet in the Streets is a collection of photographs shot in the national capital region to make a statement about art, and moreover, to highlight the importance of dance to our culture. The project was shot in the Fall of 2011 with the collaboration of professional and recreational ballerinas and contemporary dancers — the artist's principal dance disciplines.
"I have been dancing for 17 years and counting, I stopped only to focus on my university studies. Although classical dance is behind me and I've embraced swing dancing, these dances [ballet, jazz and tap] will remain special to me. They were my home; the disciplines through which I have grown both as a dancer and an individual" says Déziel-Hupé. "I absolutely love dance. I believe the reason I didn't become a professional dancer, was so that I could become (among other things) an advocate for the art. I hope that this will do justice to my passion and my respect for this art-form. Who knows, I may work on more dance-related photo projects in the very near future."
Avant Garde Bar & Gallery remodels its space to welcome the show
Avant-Garde Bar & Gallery is also opening its doors to artists' submissions and this is the very first experience for both parties; the venue and the artist.
“Avant-Garde Bar and Gallery decided to explore the visual form of art to the fullest by officially remodeling its space for frame-based displays of rotating artistic exhibits” explains Nina Iouguina, co-owner of the bar and gallery. Such bold move was inspired by recent collaboration between Nina Iouguina and Alex Yugin, owners of Avant-Garde Bar, and Mercedes Déziel-Hupé, communications manager at the Ottawa Art Gallery. “With Mercedes' extensive expertise in the world of art from business-minded and her creativity-driven perspective, we are genuinely looking forward to successful take-off of Ballet In The Streets.” She adds: “ the exhibit features an unusual mixture of classicism and urban modernism, and Ballet In The Streets is going to effortlessly flow along with the interior design of Avant-Garde Bar whose walls have been inspired by anything but ordinary works of Kandinsky, Malevich and Stenberg brothers."
WHO Mercedes Déziel-Hupé presents her collection of ballerina photos shot in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Classically trained dancer now turned communications specialist and photographer, Déziel-Hupé
shares her passion for dance with this first exhibition.
WHAT Ballet in the Streets: Exhibition of dance photographs.
WHEN Opening Jan. 12, 7-9 pm, on view until the end of January
WHERE Avant-Garde Bar & Gallery, 135 ½ Besserer, Ottawa, ON
Artist Statement
This collection of photographs is my tribute to my time as a dancer, from classical to contemporary. Through photography, I embrace a new side of this otherwise ephemeral art form. I have been inspired by great photographers such as Lois Greenfield, who's studio approach to dance photography is unmatched. I am also inspired by the "Ballerina Project" which is a New York based phenomenon that celebrates the Big Apple as a creative hub. Originally from the Capital region, I have experienced Arts as being overshadowed by politics. I photographed ballerinas and contemporary dancers in urban and industrial settings to emphasize how different they are from the environment in which we live. Despite the fact that they seem to stand out, the idea is the showcase the beauty and relevance of dance, especially in this fast-paced image-led world. The dancer is a complete artist; from daily regimen to rehearsal, to exercises and performance. A dancer embodies strength, yet the dancer is surrounded by precarious circumstances. Dance changes everyone, from the performer to the spectator, the hobbyist and the photographer. A dancer can be molded, but a dancer is usually born. It's in the urge to move, to feel beauty and life, through your body. I wanted to show how dance shows through very easily. And how it is part of a dancer's life, every day, everywhere. By presenting it outside of its normal frame of reference, whether that be the stage or the classroom, I state not only the existence, but the effervescence of dance in the capital region. I wish to render dance accessible and encourage reflection by bringing the dancer to the street.
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