BARCELONA BALLET BACKSTAGE

PEDRO VIDAL

//Pedro, who is from Brazil and now based in Spain, loves the ballet, finding endless inspiration in dance performances and in the interaction with dancers when he is photographing them. His favourite part are rehearsal photos and capturing the dancers backstage when they are preparing for the performance. We are pleased to share a set from one such backstage photoshoot of the Barcelona Ballet.

Although Pedro started out like many photographers, capturing his travel impressions, it was dance photography that made him decide to develop his photography into a more serious direction. Pedro started out with photography in Brazil and then moved to Spain to do a Master´s degree in photography. “Photography is hard and can be frustrating lots of times, but it’s a beautiful thing, to be a photographer is to be constantly learning. I feel privileged,” he says.

“Ballet is the best example of art that can fly itself and at the same time make those who watch it fly with admiration.”

Mehmet Murat İldan

What draws you to art?

Art is what makes us feel alive. That’s what i look for. Either by going to an exhibition or a performance, to watch a movie or listen to a song, art makes us realise things about our surroundings, about reality, about the most nonsense things, about ourselves or about everything else. That feeling of contemplation disconnected of whatever meaning of efficiency or productivity, of any measurements, only art can provoke. It’s all about feeling human, perceiving things, feeling alive. That’s the most beautiful thing about art.

What do you like best about photographing dancers backstage?

It is a challenge to photograph in these conditions, very dark environments, lots of movement, everyone is busy and on a schedule but at the same time it’s a wonderful thing to see. In those moments I see how photography is such a privileged thing, it takes us to places we would never be if it wasn’t for it.

The Ballet de Barcelona is one of the biggest dance companies in Catalunya, Spain. They are very well known for their creative crafts and modern approach to both classical and contemporary dance. Their progressive outlook opens the doors for dancers of all genders and origins, with a diverse roster of artists from various nationalities.

Under the artistic direction of American choreographer Chase Johnsey, this ballet company stands as a foremost private company for contemporary and classical dance in the country. It was founded in May 2019 by Johnsey, alongside the Catalans Carlos Renedo and Carolina Masjuan.

Beyond its extensive tour in Catalonia, the company has showcased its artistry in diverse regions of the country, including Alicante, Murcia, Logroño, Mallorca, and Menorca. Internationally, it has left a mark with performances in France and Andorra, while its talented artists have represented the company as guests in dance galas across Sweden, Japan, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the United States. The company has also graced the stage at the esteemed Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Rwanda (Africa) for two consecutive years.

“These photographs show life around the stage as the dancers prepare for a performance. It’s a very intense and hardworking environment, but very poetic as well,” Pedro says, “Dance is an art that requires presence to touch, and their approach to it makes it feel even more human.”

If you would like to see some more of Pedro´s on stage dance photography (which we highly recommend), please visit his website and also check out our previous feature with photos of the National Ballet of Cuba.

Click on the photos to see the original dimensions.