Dancers Among Us by Jordan Matter

非常感谢Jordan Matter将项目介绍和项目图片授权gooood发行。更多请至：Jordan Matter on gooood 
Appreciation towards Jordan Matter for providing the following description:

Dancers Among Us 是一组闻名全球，非常棒的摄影系列作品。作者Jordan Matter拍摄这组作品的灵感来自于他的儿子，当他在一个午后看见自己的儿子在玩过家家，儿子是那么淋漓尽致的尽兴着扮演自己想象中的警察时，他目瞪口呆。这种童真，这种本能，这种激情随着成长消失殆尽了。孩子的世界永远不是玩世不恭，冷漠和无趣的。如果透过孩子的眼睛看世界，日常生活又是怎样的。随后他有机会拍摄舞蹈团，他明白了这些舞者们正是自己的理想合作者，他们充满动势和艺术意味的舞蹈语言可以激发出很多东西，他们创造的幻想世界具有超凡感染力。

Jordan Matter从2009起在全美拍摄数百名舞者，这些图像是随机的，即兴的，非程式化的。每个都拥有自己的对当下社会的真切切入，有自己的追寻，注入了幽默和欢乐。摄影师为自己的两个孩子拍摄了这一切，期望他们在未来可以健康的成长，热情的工作，成为好的父母。最重要的是他们能够从自身切身的体会生命的幸福与宁静，希望这些照片可以成为彼此之间强有力的沟通：生活如此美好。

BE passionate joyful euphoric intense desperate present ALIVE The inspiration for this project came to me one afternoon as I watched my son play with his toy bus. I was trying to follow the fantasy racing through his three-year-old mind, as he intensely played with a yellow plastic box and armless figurines. At least that’s what I saw. He saw a thriving community rushing to catch the 77 local bus to Australia. He frantically jumped in place, mouth agape and slapping his knees, joyously reacting to a world I couldn’t see, but one nonetheless powerfully present for him. As we get older and wiser, what happens to this enthusiasm, this ability to be wholly present in the moment? Why are these pure moments of passion so often replaced by cynicism, boredom, and indifference? As I played with my son, I thought about creating photographs that would show the world as if through the fantastical eyes of a child. The people in the images would be alive and in the moment, celebrating all aspects and emotions of everyday life.

Shortly after playing “bus”, I attended a performance by the Paul Taylor Dance Company, and I knew immediately I had found my collaborators. Asking dancers to embody these ideals makes perfect sense. Dancers are storytellers. They’re trained to personify passionate moments, their bodies imbued with a stunning combination of artistry and athleticism. They create a fantasy world, offering us a deeper look into familiar settings. They bring to life what we feel but are unable to express physically.

Since beginning in 2009, I’ve traveled around the country and photographed hundreds of dancers. The process of producing the images is organic; created through a spontaneous collaboration with the dancers. The resulting photographs are unaffected and not highly stylized. The essence of the subject material parallels the current state of our society, where people are finding an appreciation of smaller, simpler pleasures. The images are infused with a humor and joyfulness that make the viewer feel good. The carefree nature of the work is a welcome antidote to the persistent anxiety that defines many people’s lives.

I’ve created these images for my two children, who are everything to me. There is so much I want for them. My hope is that they will live long and healthy lives, find loving partners and fulfilling careers, and experience the joys of parenthood. Most importantly, I want them to be free from self-consciousness, to discover the deep happiness of impassioned lives, and to find the serenity to be truly present. These photographs communicate my dreams for them more powerfully than words alone– relish moments large and small, recognize the beauty around you, and be alive!

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