UAL Extended Diploma in Photography and A-Level Photography Workshop with The Black British Ballet Project
First year students on our UAL Extended Diploma in Photography course and A-Level Photography course had the exciting opportunity to take part in a unique Dance Photography workshop organised in collaboration with Middlesbrough Libraries and Libraries Connected.
The workshop was delivered by The Black British Ballet project, an initiative by Oxygen Arts. The project was created to “fundamentally change the way that ballet is seen and operates in Britain” and “aims to document the history and experiences of Black dancers and choreographers in British ballet in the last century. The project is based on the PhD work of Dr. Sandie Mae Bourne, whose field of research specialises in the historic underrepresentation of Black professionals in British ballet institutions. The work is led by Dr. Bourne and by Marsha Lowe, Oxygen Arts Director, whose M.A. explored the role of minority ethnic artists working in mainstream theatres.”
During the session students took a rang of images of the dancers to experiment with a new form of image capture. This experience gave students the rare chance to work directly with a professional ballet dancer Adrielly Pereria. During the session, students received guidance on camera settings and techniques specific to photographing a ballerina in motion, delivered by project founder Clovis Lowe.
In addition to developing technical skills and producing work for their portfolios, the workshop encouraged critical thinking and discussion around diversity and inclusion within the creative industries. The overarching goal was to inspire students to help shape a more inclusive and representative cultural landscape.
Final year photography student Matthew Boal said “The workshop was really well organised and energetic, Clovis was a burst of energy in the room and really made me feel comfortable and welcome there which helped me be more confident shooting. It was a great opportunity to shoot something totally new for me, I enjoyed that challenge. It has added to my skills as a photographer which will help me in my future career.”
A-Level student Gemma Hollingworth commented “I really enjoyed the workshop, it was such an incredible opportunity and as someone who’s really interested in doing theatre and dance photography but struggles to get permission to practice, it was amazing to get this chance! Adrielly was incredibly talented and a stunning dancer and model. Clovis was such a helpful and great teacher!”
If you are a school leaver interested in photography and image making make sure you check out our UAL Extended Diploma in Photography today.
