Andrej Uspenski has photographed Steven McRae over the past year, and the results can be seen in his new book, Dancer in the Fast Lane.
The book contains more than 70 colour images taken from the wings, in rehearsal and during performances at the Royal Opera House. Australian McRae, one of The Royal Ballet's most exciting Principal dancers, has been with the company since 2003, so this publication is a timely tenth anniversary present.
Steven McRae's passion for drag car racing has been frequently documented, and speed is a characteristic of his dancing, so the fast lane is certainly where to find him.
This is Uspenski's third book; Dancers – Behind the Scenes at The Royal Ballet and Natalia Osipova – Becoming a Swan being the previous titles. His photographic career has been developing alongside that as a dancer with The Royal Ballet, and the insights he has knowing the work of a dancer, the environment, and his subjects, provides a satisfying glimpse into ballet life.
Dancer in the Fast Lane is published by Oberon Books in June, and can be pre-ordered from their site, at £14.99.
All images by Andrej Uspenski
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
