Waterdance

WaterDance breaks new ground in the world of photography. These extraordinary photographs, all made underwater, capture the magic of weightlessness and the beauty of dance. In this unique collection of images, dancers, primarily from the world of classical ballet, fly, borne by the buoyant and luminescent waters that surround them. Their ineffable beauty and ethereal presence lend a dream-like quality to these hypnotic and compelling underwater dances. This remarkable combination of light, color, design and composition celebrates the beauty of the human body, the power of movement, the grace of line, and the expressiveness of dance.

Schatz has compiled a volume filled with delightful visual confections of the sort that make dreams come true. For who has not dreamed of floating through space? That is exactly what the lovely dancers Schatz uses as models seem to be doing, except that their medium is water. Many of them are the redheads with very pale skin to whom Schatz has already dedicated a book, Seeing Red: The Rapture of Redheads (1993), and all are exquisitely beautiful. Trained dancers disporting nude underwater amidst swirls of colored chiffon, they are depicted in 176 full-page colorplates that constitute a showcase of tasteful erotica. The photographs don't lead to ideas, but they do generate pleasure of the kind you get from watching fireworks. Gretchen Garner