Photographing Movement and Grace

By Adam Docker

In earl 2024, I was commissioned to document the behind-the-scenes world of the Ballet Icons Gala at the London Coliseum. The event brought together some of the most celebrated dancers in the world, artists whose skill, precision, and grace are the product of a lifetime’s dedication.

Being backstage in that atmosphere was a privilege. The quiet intensity of preparation, the last-minute stretches, the hushed conversations before the curtain rose, every moment was charged with focus and artistry. It was an intimate world, one I had never experienced before.

I really enjoyed photographing ballet, it’s like capturing pure poetry in motion. I have always been drawn to movement, whether it’s a fighter in the gym, a street scene in Havana, or dancers leaping across a stage. I love how a photograph can feel like it’s arriving from somewhere and moving on to somewhere else, freezing a fraction of a second yet hinting at the rhythm that came before and the breath that will follow.

At the Ballet Icons Gala, that sense of flow was everywhere. Even in stillness, the dancers carried an energy, a readiness to explode into motion. From the wings, I watched them translate years of training into seamless artistry, each leap and turn an effortless blend of strength and elegance.

Backstage, I worked quietly, moving between the narrow corridors and warm-up areas, framing portraits, candid moments, and glimpses of rehearsal. My camera followed the arc of limbs, catching the blur of a pirouette, the slow shutter drawing out the path of a sweeping arm. I wanted each image to reflect not only their technical mastery but the emotion that fuels it.

Being there reminded me why I love photographing movement. It’s the challenge of freezing time while still showing life, of creating an image that pulses with the same energy I feel when I press the shutter.