Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday

Very interesting and unique photos. However, it's a very big shame though that the author/photographer is making megabucks off the sales and promotional appearances that he has been on for this book. I bet the public has no idea that the dancers have not received any financial gain from the sale of this book, not a single cent since it was published and has gone viral. Mr. Matter may not have expected such a huge response for the sales of this book, but after he did get that unexpected response, he should have turned around and sent each of those dancers an appropriate monetary compensation. The dancers definitely should be compensated monetarily for their part in the book since THEY are the subject matter and also they each worked one on one at length with the author/photographer to get the perfect shots. These were not one time pictures, there was a series of pictures to get the one to put in his book. Mr. Matter has most likely heard of the term "Starving Artist", so he felt that it was OK to not pay anything for the dancer's obvious talents and consequently he's continuing to reap benefits because of them. Shame on him. Now the author/photographer is making a second book and I bet that group of talented people will not receive one red cent either. To me the author/photographer has created his own means of exploitation in order to get rich. I will not promote this book after finding out that the dancers were not compensated. I'm also adding this quote from K. Yohe who reports personally knowing Mr. Matter. K. Yohe is verifying how much work the dancers put into making their shoot real. It is my strong opinion that Mr. Matter needs to look into his heart and rethink his non-payment decision. Here is the quote from K.Yohe's review: "K. Yohe - See all my reviews (REAL NAME) This review is from: Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday (Paperback) “Jordan has included background stories for several pictures, and anecdotes from his own life so you can see how personal and heartfelt the creation of this book was. The pictures would be remarkable on their own, but it is so much more meaningful to know how much went into devising each shot - or how some of them seemingly created themselves. I can say it was a privilege to witness the enthusiasm, dedication, and courage of these dancers firsthand. I watched Carrie Nicastro jumping off the side of Buckingham Fountain over 200 times during the course of almost 2 hours (page 36). Marissa Horton didn't think twice before stripping down and jumping into Lake Michigan in October when we suggested a nighttime skinny-dip (page 78). Erin Clyne leaped across active train tracks with the Northbound Metra train speeding towards her (page 172). Kara Lozanovski rolled herself in oily, gritty asphalt (page 148). Over and over again dancers volunteered, saying, "Yes!" or "I'll try!" or "What if...?". Improvising, thinking on their feet, and all the time willing to give their all just to share their love for dance. This book is a testament to humankind's best potential for creativity, spontaneity, and collaborative spirit.” (end quote) Need anymore than this be said ???

Dancers are everywhere in our world - for every one on a stage, there are tens of thousands who have been through the dance education machine to not make it, and they end up in other walks of lives. Beautiful stunning photos, celebrating people doing what they love.

For my bachelor's degree, I studied theatre and dance, and although I'm not a great dancer, I am amazed at the ability to control your body with such precision. This book is the epitome of that precision, and puts it into an everyday context. I love the book, and think the photography is simply stunning, though, I have to admit that I'm quite jealous that Jordan Matter created these beautiful images and not me. I got into photography because of dance, I wanted to capture the beauty, and at some point that got away from me and I started photographing pets and products and weddings. This reminds me of why I got into this field, and what it was that made me fall in love with the arts. I highly recommend this book, as I've shown it to many non-dancer friends and they all say the same thing. It is inspirational, creative, and most importantly, extremely enjoyable!!!

We have enjoyed this book, although it would be much more impactful as a hardcover "coffee table book" and culled a little -- some of the pictures are too obvious/unimaginative and dilute the book (for example, the girl in flowing white on a tree swing...why wasn't this perhaps a boy looking ready to leap or squirm off, capturing that emotion of childhood challenge and adventure instead of a boring overdone romantic-girl stereotype?). But, the majority of the pictures are very imaginative and expressive, and capture the emotion of an everyday situation in a creative and enjoyable way, and I find myself reminded of them in various situations.in my day-to-day life.

Got this book at the library to look at it for it looked interesting. Found it so wonderful ended up buying a copy. It is filled with the most wonderful photos and in the back of the book it tells who is in the photo and how they shot it. Not Photo-shopping...just wonderful "how did they do THAT" PHOTOS. Each nite before I go to bed I look at one photo. Study and enjoy it and read how it was done. This is a great book. Very special to those who love, enjoy and appreciate the talent of dancers and the eye of a totally fab photograhper. Barb K

Having visited New York on more than one occasion I always found it hard to convey to other people what kind of place it was....until I found Jordans project! His absolute love of New York City is evident in the stories he tells with the dancers in each of his photographs! He brings New York to life on paper, and its a joy and inspiration to behold! Once I realised that the project extended beyond New York I was hooked and now have an added 10/20 must see places on my extensive travel wish list. I love Jordans whimsical nature and his explanantions of how and when these photos were taken just adds to the charm of this book! It will stand alone as a tour de force in photography, but that wont stop me hoping for a Dancers Among Us, phase 2!!!

The reason I bought this book was because I had a photoshoot scheduled with the photographer of this book. So 1. I wanted Jordan Matter to sign my book and 2. I actually wanted to incorporate the book into my photoshoot. Seeing that the shoot was at the beach I went with the paperback instead of the hardcover (in case it got a little messed up). It held up well and now I have a great memory to look back on when I look through the photos in this book and read the back stories to them. Can't wait for Jordan's next book Tiny Dancers Amongst Us! *The only thing I wasn't happy about is that it was delivered USPS and the postman smashed the package into my mailbox so it got a little bent. So annoying. Laid it flat for a few days with some heavy books on top of it and it was fine after.

I was a little nervous about all the 5-star ratings... Thought it was probably the book publisher hiring people to write good reviews... But, "Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday" seemed like an interesting concept and the few photos I could see looked inspiring. So, I took a chance and bought 6 copies - one for myself (I'm a photography instructor who stresses finding beauty in the world) and the other 5 would be gifts for a few of my photographer friends. We are always looking for people doing inspiring imagery, expressing joy and especially doing creative things. I totally forgot about ordering them... And they just arrived. Awesome! Lots of amazing photos... So many make me smile and laugh. What a trip it must have been to work on this project! The book is mostly photos, which is good for a photo book. I am looking forward to reading what is in it though, especially the "About the Photographs" section in the back. I love reading about how photos are made. Thanks to the photographer and the dancers for creating such a fun body of work. I can't wait to see my friends' reactions when they open these gifts! Awesome Book! RA Santa Fe, NM

Jordan Matter's project 'Dancers Among Us' is so inspiring, it really is a celebration of joy in the everyday that shines forth from every image and made me feel good just as an observer. It is a fantastic and amazing collection of images that inspire and I really liked the way the stories behind the pictures are presented. I bought the book for my daughter, but had to read all of it myself before giving it to her. A lovely book.

これは素晴らしい写真集だ。 プロのダンサーがモデルとなり、ありふれた日常生活や街並みを背景にしてポーズをとった姿を、ジョーダン・マターが撮影した写真集――などと、説明してもこの本の素晴らしさは全く伝わらない。正にこれは百聞は一見に如かずなのだが、取りあえずカヴァー写真を見て欲しい。 “A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday”と副題にあるように、日々の市井の営みに息づく喜びや心の高ぶりを、ダンサーならではの、優美で、ダイナミックで、しばしばアクロバティックな姿で表現していく。トランポリンの使用や、撮影後のデジタル加工は一切ない――と記してあるが、構図やポーズを入念に設計し、ほんの一瞬の静止画像を得るために、何度も何度もリハーサルし、テイクを数多く重ねたに違いない。 しかし、じゃあこの写真集の良さはそのような「驚異」に存するのかというと、それは少し違う。最初は、現実には普通あり得ない「ダンサーのポーズと現実のコンビネーション」に驚かされるが、その後に観る者の胸中に湧いてくるのは、個々の写真に込められた美しさでありユーモアである。我々が何気なく過ごしている日常生活に潜む喜怒哀楽の感情を、ダンサーの肢体を通して超クロースアップして提示したその「輝き」に、心打たれるのだ。 筆者が好きな写真家の一人がアニー・リーボヴィッツだが、彼女はセレブをモデルに起用して、一つの架空ドラマを創り上げる写真で名声を博している。マターの写真は、セレブこそ使わないけれど、同じく一枚一枚が「ドラマ」を作っている。ゲーテの言葉「時よとまれ、君は美しい」を映像化したかの如く、一瞬の中にドラマが凝縮された、観る度に驚きと喜びがこみ上げてくる、素晴らしい写真は、観る度に新鮮な驚きと歓びを与えてくれる。 素晴らしい写真集である。

Ich kann es kaum beschreiben.. Wer schon mal die Magie vom Tanzen erlebt hat, der wird dieses Buch lieben, egal ob jung oder alt, Tänzer oder nicht. Wunderschöne Fotos, die dir die Augen öffnen, begleitet von passenden Zitaten und kurzen Geschichten. Geniale Idee - so einfach und so perfekt. Ideal zum durchblättern um Motivation zu schöpfen oder um seine Gedanken zu entfalten und das Schöne um uns herum zu genießen. Ich würde es jedem weiterempfählen! Ein perfektes Geschenk für jeden tanzbegeisterten!!

J'ai découvert l'artiste par hasard sur le web et j'ai tout simplement été bluffée par ses photos. Je me suis finalement décidé a acheter son livre et je ne suis pas déçue ! Ces commentaires intermédiaires introduisent bien les photographies qu'il nous présente et l'idée qu'il veut faire passer à travers elles.Les scènes se passant pour la plupart à New York ,c'est un bonheur pour les yeux.Je le recommande sans hésitation!

This is a really cheap reproduction. The cover was worn out and the print quality is absolutely dismal. It's such a shame as the original images and book are a masterpiece. It's money down the drain.