>living sculpture, form, dance<
First edition. Hardback. Near Fine. Book is in excellent clean condition. Dustjacket has extremely minor shelf wear. Includes original Press Release loosely inserted.
Raw Moves, photography by James Houston, was published on 20th March 2001 by Craftsman
House (an imprint of G+B Arts International) and distributed via Marston Book Services, Abingdon,
UK (originally priced £29.95 [EUR 55] hardback).
Raw Moves is a dynamic series of photographs of dancers from Australia's three major dance
companies: the Australian Ballet; Bangarra Dance Theatre; and Sydney Dance Company
Photographed singly and in groups, dancing and in still tableau, their nude bodies form vibrant living
sculptures.
James Houston is one of Australia's leading fashion photographers and he has received several major
awards for his unique style of photography of the human form. He shot Raw Moves in just 5 days.
Initially many of the dancers had reservations about nude photographic work. Before each company's
shoot he sketched ideas, compositions and group formations. The series of shots of dancers flying
against a backdrop of a brilliant sky were shot using a trampoline on the roof of the studio. Houston
wntes that it 'created an interesting distraction, as about 30 cheering workmen and several hundred
office workers looked on in awe at these flying naked bodies".
Perhaps the strongest testimony to the work is from the artistic directors of the dance companies
themselves:
"The Australian Ballet communicates through the moving body - ballet is art that moves'
James Houston has produced images of great beauty, but he has done more T he has created
images that speak to us of the wonders of dancing, of the harmony of the human body and of
the spirit of the dancers themselves."
Ross Stretton, Artistic Director, The Australian Ballet
There is a uniqueness about Bangarra as it evolves day to day. We draw on what we inherit
as aboriginals.
We live from the land; the land is the inspiration . These photos truly capture
the inner spirit of the performers."
Stephen Page, Artistic Director, Bangarra Dance Theatre
"James has taken dancers from three high profile companies and created his own potent
choreographic essays. His images suggest a thousand complex narratives. Amazingly, he
captures the most ethereal art form in a way that a choreographer, whose work dies with the
curtain's descent, can only dream of."
Graeme Murphy AM, Artistic Director, Sydney Dance Company