Alston Macgill // New York City, NY

For whatever reason - perhaps most likely that it almost always usually rains during this time period - I visit NYC around Halloween, as a pre-birthday sort of trip (November 6 being my birthday, size L thank you very much). The temperatures are generally nice if you have pants on, too; plane tickets and hotels are also quite inexpensive, making for a perfect excuse to visit. 

With my recent (more than 1/10th of my life) obsession with ballerinas, every trip I make anywhere revolves on whether I can find a dancer to  add to my ever-growing list of photographed ballerinas. Is there a ballet company in X City? NYC being a sort of Mecca for ballet, with dancers from around the world migrating there to see if they have what it takes to make it, it’s a city I have visited often for this project. 

The fact that I usually visit NYC during the cold months isn’t lost upon me. I feel bad for the ballerinas that I ask to bare their legs, “for the sake of art”, I tell them. Such was this instance. I made this photo in front of the Lincoln Center, the beautiful theater where Alston dances professionally in the City Ballet. I distinctly remember my cousin Max chastising me for taking too long to focus the lens; what  was seemingly lost upon me was the fact that Alston was laying uncomfortably on a cold marble bench in 40° weather.  

I don’t like the cold, and I imagine I would like it even less if I was asked to bare my legs in cold weather. Alston was a trooper though, never complaining about the cold weather, even chuckling - though probably agreeing wholeheartedly - at Max’s chastisement. The way Alston can look regal and beautiful, even under uncomfortable circumstances, is a testament to her dedication to her craft, and willingness to suffer “for the sake of art”, whatever that’s supposed to mean.

October 31, 2020