Double Vu

[Syrene Hvid]

Via Instagram I learned that this book, Double Vu, will be released tomorrow (19th of November). It is a compilation of all the material that Griegst has collected throughout six years with the RDB on and off stage. For me, it's definitely a must have!

It will be released in a limited number of book shops, but can be purchased online. I still haven't figured out how to link anything here, but the website is called griegstprinting dot com. The project ALSO has an instagram called doublevu_book. Three pictures up so far, but I suspect there are many more to come.

Enjoy!

[Syrene Hvid]

I was so fortunate as to receive this gem of a photo collection for Christmas and despite a few shortcomings, I'll warmly recommend it to anyone interested in the RDB of current and really, anyone with an interest in ballet photography.

I read Eva Kistrup's thoughts on the release and I'll agree with her on a few issues. The paper quality isn't the best. The pages are very thin which doesn't help the fact that some of the photos have been rendered in a subpar quality. However, the grainy quality runs throughout, so I'm not sure if it's not part of the aesthetic. Even so, the thin pages and the low resolution of certain images make some photos look worse for it. Overall, it's a completely decent book and the pictures... My God, the pictures.

Raw, gritty, stand-alone testimonies to the moods and magic happening behind as well as on stage.

I've found ten of my immediate favourite pictures:

- A tender snapshot of a very young Sebastian Haynes as he observes something out of view. Really makes you realise how much he's grown, how full of a dancer he's become.

- A two page spread of Silja Schandorff in Balanchine's La Sonnambula. Makes me wish I'd been following the RDB when she was their star.

- A two page spread of Hübbe coaching J'aime Crandall which is a really good testimony to Hübbe's style of interaction, always touching and leading.

- A picture of Gudrun Bojesen resting backstage in her costume for Tatiana from Neumeier's A Midsummer Night's Dream, I'm oddly fascinated by this one.

- A wonderful picture of Cecilie Lassen laughing in her dressing room.

- A picture of the reflection of an unidentifiable ballerina halfway hidden behind a black fan, the colours are amazing.

- A smiling Holly Dorger in costume for Etudes (the original Lund staging, not the one where she danced the lead).

- A backstage photo of three male dancers in their dressing room. One is Alban Lendorf, the other (I think) is Jonathan Chmelensky and the third, I can't identify.

- A beautiful black and white photo of Amy Watson in her dressing room, getting help with a tutu.

- A black and white full frontal shot of a ballerina I don't recognise in costume for La Sylphide, this one in particular is thrilling...