Ticket to enter world of dance photography

NEW DELHI: Taking up the challenge to brighten up prospects of dance photography in India, the third edition of Spandan—a global exhibition of pictures in this category, showcasing the work of over 30 photographers from around the world, was inaugurated at Indian Habitat Centre on Friday.
Conceived and curated by R Sreenivasan, the month-long exhibition would conclude on May 25 with a grand performance by dancers from around the world.“Spandan celebrates the human spirit in each one of us that bursts into expression in every dance form. It is all about realizing the infinite potential each of us has. The idea behind the exhibition is to connect more and more people to the world of dance photography. As part of our endeavour to make it more interactive, there will be curated works exploring the link of dance with literature and music,” Sreenivasan said.
Capturing the artistes in different poses and expressions, the exhibition showcases more than 64 photographs of various dance forms around the world, including eight Indian classical dance forms. Apart from classical dances, the photos also capture dance forms from Japan, Korea, China and Spain.
“This is Spandan’s third year. April 29 is International Dance Day and this exhibition goes on from April 24 to May 25. In all, we have 377 pictures which will be displayed from 7pm to 9pm every day. Spandan also pays tribute to renowned photographer Avinash Pasricha, who is also known as father of dance photography in India, by showcasing his work of 50 years,” he said.
Pasricha, who inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest, said that dance photographers are unable to do well in India as the market is not so friendly towards this kind of art. “Dance photography doesn’t help you make money. Only a few publications use such pictures and, even if they do so, pay less in comparison to other forms of photography. The commercial prospects of dance photography are quite bleak,” Pasricha said. He said the people aren’t much aware about many dance forms that exist around the world. “They are not even aware of the variety of dance forms available in India. This exhibition connects them with the dance culture and educates them. We hope more and more people connect with Spandan and help take this initiative forward,” the photographer said.