Description

Ballet has provided inspiration and a window onto unknown cultures. The Leap of Dance Academy creates a bridge between two seemingly far divided worlds, that of classical ballet and the unassuming Ajangbadi community located on the outskirts of the megacity of Lagos in Nigeria. They launch into pirouettes and perform arabesques in the one-room space adorned with bright though faded paint on three of its concrete walls. The deceptively humble appearance of the room emphasizing the resilience, grace, and fortitude of the dancers and their instructor as they move, silently, through the movements of this art form that is most commonly associated with the moneyed elite of the world. This project earned me a nomination as Guardian Agency photographer of the year 2020.