The Dancer Within.

What compels people to dance? What fuels the choreographer’s creative vision? Why do most dancers devote their entire lives to this art form? Many artists refer to a spirit within that defines and drives their need to move, to create, to dance. It is this spirit that is explored in the evocative Smithsonian traveling exhibition The Dancer Within.

Featuring 48 color and black-and-white photographs by dancer-turned-photojournalist Rose Eichenbaum, the exhibition will be on view at the Ypsilanti District Library in Ypsilanti, Mich., April 5, 2008 through June 1, 2008. The Dancer Within, from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), will continue on a national tour through 2010.
“Visually, the exhibition captures a moment in the life of a dancer,” said Eichenbaum. “Viscerally, it reflects how dance speaks to the social and cultural issues of our times and has the power to express the deepest of human emotions.” In 1998, equipped with a camera and tape recorder, Eichenbaum set out to elicit the secrets of creativity from some of America’s greatest choreographers. After publishing Masters of Movement, her highly acclaimed 2004 collection of photographs and interviews, Eichenbaum focused her lens on ballet icons, Broadway stars, Hollywood legends, hip-hop artists and modern-dance luminaries. The result, The Dancer Within, takes visitors on a backstage—and at times on-stage—tour of the multidimensional world of dance.

The character and vitality of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jacques d’Amboise, José Greco, Bill T. Jones, Ann Reinking, Chita Rivera, Russ Tamblyn, Tommy Tune, and dozens of other choreographers and dancers are captured in revealing portraits and dramatic performance shots. Interview excerpts documenting the dancers’ candid reflections on life, work and passion accompany each photograph, providing a rare glimpse at the inner workings of the artists. “I believe in destiny,” said internationally acclaimed ballet dancer Natalia Makarova. “But I also believe that there are many factors that go into what makes a dancer—the right physique and proportions; exposure to music, literature and art; environment; and family. But then there is something else, something that is God-given—spirit. How spirit is formed I don’t know. No one can explain this.”
A companion book complements the national traveling exhibition. The Dancer Within: Intimate Conversations with Great Dancers will be published in spring 2008 by Wesleyan University Press. The Dancer Within was created by Rose Eichenbaum, organized for travel by SITES and made possible through the generous support of United Dance Merchants of America, presenter of National Dance Week. Additional support has been provided by The Enchanted Garden Conservatory of Music, Dance & Drama in Ridgefield, CT. Eichenbaum, whose photographs “open windows onto the soul of dance,” according to the New York Times, is one of the most highly acclaimed photojournalists working in the dance field today. She holds a bachelor’s degree in ethnic arts/dance and a master’s degree in dance from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her love and commitment to the art form lead her to teaching, dance research, photography and, ultimately, photojournalism.

An award-winning photographer, she has photographed some of this country’s most respected dance companies, including Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Project, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Tango Argentino, Les Grands Ballet Canadian de Montreal and many others. Her photos and articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Dance Magazine, Pointe, Dance Teacher and Dance Spirit. Her books include The Number on My Grandfather’s Arm (UAHC Press) and Masters of Movement—Portraits of America’s Great Choreographers (Smithsonian Books). Eichenbaum’s photography has been exhibited from coast-to-coast with one woman shows at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the Center of Creative Arts in St. Louis.

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play.