At The Barre: by Michael Puff

'For several months I had the idea percolating in the back of my mind to do a series, "at the barre", where the visual elements were limited to a dancer and a dance barre.'

'I've never really done a series before where a story unfolds over multiple images, I prefer that each image image stand on its own. However, I didn't think that I could encompass both the arduous and demanding physical training that classical dance requires and the personal emotional joy a dancer can experience in a single image. Hence, a series.'

'I had worked with Oliviero on a previous shoot and thought he would be perfect for the "at the barre" series. He has both a classic beauty and the dance training that I thought was required.'

'The day of the shoot arrived and I explained what I wanted to accomplish with the series to Oliviero. He simply said something along the lines of "oh, yes", there were no questions, he understood completely. Instead of words, true to the heart of movement and dance, Oliviero spoke most eloquently with his body.'