Matthias Petz: Ballet Life

Two worlds that flow into each other. What would life be without the art of dance? In this project, I wanted to show that another world exists alongside everyday life. A world of beauty, delicate movements and the flow of joie de vivre, pure joy and serenity.

But what motivated me to do this project? I have been photographing on analog black and white film for almost 10 years and wanted to combine the aesthetics of film with those of dance. I wanted to capture the lightness behind all the hard work and the emotions that come out of the dancer herself. A combination of dance and film that still fascinates me to this day and will probably never really come to an end.

Because with every shoot, this project continues to grow and each time shows a different side of a dancer who lives and practices her dream in all situations.

Something else about me: My name is Matthias Petz, I was born in 1987 near the German-Austrian border and have been taking photographs for about 15 years. At first only digital, then a few years later my passion for analog photography came to the fore. Since then, I have been working for about 10 years with classic black and white film, Polaroid photography and handmade cyanotype prints. A passion that continues to grow with every motif.

After several publications and exhibitions, I am always “chasing” that one picture that leaves you captivated. Because just as dance is the language of the dancer, mine is the language of images.