Beyond the Skin Through the lens of Ric Pereira

01 Dec, 2013

By Ric Pereira,  Photographer     
Translated by Fabio Pacheco

‘It was with good surprise that I received the invitation from the Choreographer Everaldo Pereira to be part of the creative process for the upcoming dance spectacle named: “Beyond the Skin” as he sometimes use the  photographic  made during rehearsals to help him to visually being inspired and also some pictures could help to record the atmosphere, the faces of the dancers and  many of them could become useful to promotional material  and marketing for the NU TEMPO Dance Company.

Although I never worked with this particular kind of subject on my photography, I quickly realized that the challenger to capture the best angles and poses from the dancers were fascinating! I immediately could see that behind the challenger to produce good quality material, I would have to really be immerse to capture those powerful emotions, expressions and intense physicality displayed in every workshop or rehearsals in preparation to the final choreograph peace that they will perform to the public on the 15th December –  a night with Everaldo Pereira.

After try several  technical equipment, analyse over the first shots made during the first days of rehearsals I realized that in order to provide the best results, I really have to put myself literally on the move and not just rely on the Point of View technique as it works better for motions pictures.

So then I found myself plunging into the dancer universe, not just a regular photographer, I started to “shadow” the dancers to get the best  of it. So here I was with my “slender” little body, following as if I was one of the them. To get to best shot I really have to jump, roll over on the floor as learn how to stretch myself as a dance or a gymnast.

It wasn’t easy to cope with that initially, but despite all the sweats, the painful  blisters, the muscle injuries caused by the effort to catch the right dance move and the emotions that is felt when it is nailed kept me going and, as a photographer here, suddenly I caught myself having exactly those same feelings who flows “BEYOND THE SKIN ”

Interesting how with the Photography we can freeze a fragment ( NU Tempo) on time with just one click and is recorded forever. An action, be it a jump, a somersault or a smile. A fraction of a second and has forever etched just a moment that is not repeated.

Initially what had only the intention to register and serve as an introduction from the first test,  a way to bring together the public and all team involved in this great mission for the sake of art work ended once again proving that Photography and Dance are an amalgamation more than perfect and it’s up to us every day new discoveries.

This exhibition photographically represents the NU TEMPO’s  “BEYOND THE SKIN” project and my final intention was to show the whole creative process behind it and it has being  very rewarding to be part of it!