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Street Ballet: Photographer captures ballet dancers leaping all over New York City

Omar Z Robles's interest in storytelling began with one man: Marcel Marceau. The legendary mime actor taught him how to interpret the world through subtle, but riveting movements. Those movements that he acquired as a student in Paris, he still employs today in his ongoing photo series of ballet dancers.

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Two ballet dancers perform mid-leap on a cobbled street lined with weathered buildings, with onlookers watching below

The New York City-based photographer loves to juxtapose the clean lines of professional dancers against rugged city landscapes, and not just in the Big Apple either. He's been all over the world capturing dancers leaping, bending, swaying and moving around city streets – and then sharing his latest images on his popular Instagram account with 220,000 happy followers.

Before his obsession with dance photography kicked off, Omar was shooting celebrities, athletes, artists, politicians and city dwellers for The Chicago Tribune’s Hoy, Metro San Juan, Latino Leaders and for his own street photography portfolio.

In New York City, he transformed the aesthetic of his street photography by substituting the New Yorker with the New York dancer. Omar directed the dancers to tell stories with their bodies as he had learned from Marceau. The result is an army of miniature stories as told by the gentle flow of the dancers’ bodies. Discover more at www.omarzrobles.com.

Via Creative Boom submission | All images courtesy of Omar Z Robles

Dancer in red and blue costume leaping in ballet pose within a narrow urban alleyway lined with tall buildings
Shirtless ballet dancer in red skirt leaps against weathered brick wall with metal grates in urban setting
Dancer performing a headstand on a tree-lined street, wearing a mustard skirt and white top with long dark hair flowing downward
Ballet dancer in pale pink dress performing an arabesque on a New York City street, with yellow taxi and buildings blurred in the background
Two ballet dancers perform a lift on a narrow cobblestone street lined with historic buildings in New York City
Ballet dancer in a red shirt and black trousers leaps between parked cars on a New York City street lined with tall buildings
Ballet dancer performing an arabesque en pointe on an urban street at dusk, with blurred city lights and industrial architecture behind
Ballet dancer in a flowing teal coat leaps expressively across a zebra crossing on a New York City street lined with trees and buildings
Ballet dancer in denim jacket and pointe shoes performing an extended leg split on a New York City street lined with buildings and trees
Dancer in a patterned yellow dress performs an arabesque on a city street with tall buildings and traffic behind her
Ballet dancer in an arabesk pose on a rain-wet New York City street at night, surrounded by blurred car lights and city buildings
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