Belly Dancing is about the light, motion and color of the dance. The performers are always dressed to optimize these elements, which add emphasis and fluidity to the dance. Dancers are always aware of the body’s position in space, as a sculpture would be created, but they also are dealing with time and motion which adds extra dimension to the image. The goal of this work is to create the feeling of the dance; to show the movement, the grace and swirl of the belly dancers. Some of the shots were done using a slow shutter speed to capture and create unique shapes and swirls where the skirts, hair and veils would move. Some of the images were manipulated to show the grace and color, to combine multiple images and create a new way of looking at the dance.

     These events often take place in restricted places such as restaurants, where there is no control over backgrounds or lighting, so they require added light to capture the image. Occasionally I combine several of the dancers into a separate image and alter the relationship of the parts. Some dance performances are done on stage with more consistent lighting, so the manipulation is done with the camera during the shoot and little is done later on the computer. Hopefully, the viewer will not just see, but feel the movement of the dance.

                                                                  Anne C. Savedge