Nov. 25, 2020

Photographer Omar Z. Robles on His Sensational Images of Ballet Dancers Around the World

Photographer Omar Z. Robles on His Sensational Images of Ballet Dancers Around the World

Photographer Omar Z. Robles is known for his electrifying images of ballet dancers. But he doesn't take these photographs inside of theaters or dance studio. Rather, he works with dancers out in the streets.

Photographer Omar Z. Robles is known for his electrifying images of ballet dancers. But he doesn't take these photographs inside of theaters or dance studio. Rather, he works with dancers out in the streets, combining urban grit with their elegant moves. This work has brought him around the world and we chat about how he got started and what the world of dance means to him.

See some of the artwork we discuss on the Top Artist Instagram

Follow Omar’s work on his website, Instagram, Facebook, and Patreon.

And read more about some of the projects we discuss during our chat:

Fearless Dancers Bare All and Pose on New York City Rooftops

Powerful Photos of Ballet Dancers in Puerto Rico 5 Months After Hurricane Maria

Ballet Dancers on the Streets of Rio de Janeiro Demonstrate a City of Contrasts

Stunning Portraits of Agile Ballet Dancers on the Candid Streets of Cuba

Breathtaking Portraits Capture Ballet’s Finest Dancing on the Streets of New York

Omar Z. Robles Profile Photo

Omar Z. Robles

Photographer

Omar Z Robles is an NYC based photographer. Born and raised in Puerto Rico. His interest in story telling 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 employs today in his photo series of ballet dancers.

But before juxtaposing the clean lines of dancers against rugged city landscapes, Robles 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. Robles directed the dancers to tell stories with their bodies as he had learned from Marceau. The results were an army of miniature stories as told by the gentle flow of the dancers’ bodies. These stories were later passed on by local and international media. (Mashable, Instagram’s Blog, The Phoblographer, The Huffington Post, The Daily Mail, Design Taxi and Harpers Bazaar).