Being a professional ballet dancer was a remarkable human experience. The moments I witnessed and experienced during my time with Miami City Ballet were beyond noteworthy. It became my mission to archive the athleticism and uniqueness of this art form. The more I brought my camera to the studios and theater, the more I became determined to capture moments from behind the scenes. These photographs remind me of my beautiful friends at MCB, and how they shaped me as both a dancer and photographer.

For a closer look into dance photography, visit PORTFOLIOS at the top of this page.

Repertory pieces included above: George Balanchine’s Episodes, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Who Cares?, Concerto Barocco, Bugaku, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Valse Fantasies, Symphony in Three Movements, The Nutcracker, and The Four Temperaments, Twyla Tharp’s The Golden Section, In The Upper Room, and Nine Sinatra Songs, Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit and Heatscape, John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering, Marius Petipa’s Don Quixote, Paul Taylor’s Company B, Peter Martins’ Barber Violin Concerto, and Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia (all dancers of the Miami City Ballet Company). All choreography, set design, and costuming rights belong respectively to each designer and choreographer’s foundation or trust.

All photographs ©Leigh-Ann Esty.