Anna Tsygankova // Amsterdam, Netherlands
When researching ballerinas, I have a few criteria. Firstly, they must be a part of a good company. Secondly, they must be willing to participate. Even if they are the best, it won't work if they are not willing. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to photograph a certain well-known ballerina a few months prior in Havana. When Ms. Boylston posted some of my images, my project quickly spread throughout the small, well-connected ballet community. Therefore, when researching who to photograph in Amsterdam, I was delighted to see that Anna was already following me. Now, I only needed to convince her to participate in the project.
Continuing my baby-sitting/photography Eurotrip with my cousin and her friend, Amsterdam was next on the list. Though I was actually spending four nights in Amsterdam (unbeknownst to me that I booked my Airbnb at the corner of the Red Light District - *insert face palm emoji*), as typical when photographing with multiple ballerinas from the same ballet company, scheduling was tricky. Anna was the second out of four scheduled shoots in Amsterdam, and all four ballerinas only had availability on the same day, a Tuesday. It's always amazing to me how fortunate I have been with scheduling, feeling truly blessed that days off from two different ballet companies coincided with my travels to two separate countries and my schedule.
Anticipating that I would be rushing from my first shoot, I decided to play it safe and requested Anna to meet me in front of my Airbnb for our session. This way, we could take pictures in and around the Amsterdam river canals and streets without any hurry. Additionally, it would give me some breathing room and a chance to relax between my 2nd and 3rd sessions. I must admit, I had somewhat of an ulterior motive as well. My cousin had told me about this amazing restaurant, Restaurant Gebr. Hartering, located across the street from my Airbnb, and I wanted to check out their menu.
After walking around and shooting for an hour, I asked Anna if she would like to take a break and walk into the restaurant. I offered to buy her some wine and suggested that we ask the owners if we could take a photograph on their back porch, which happened to be a boat. Anna liked the idea, and to our delight, the manager on duty approved of it. He loved the idea of a ballerina relaxing on his porch and sipping a glass of wine.
Pointing to how small the world is, after the session, Anna and I chatted, and she told me about her multiple visits to Texas for vacation, specifically to Kerrville, a small town in the Hill Country an hour outside of San Antonio. It's moments like these that make me realize how blessed I am to travel all over the world and meet these amazing ballerinas. When I first started this project, I never could have predicted the relationships and connections I would make along the way. From photographing a ballerina in Havana to meeting Anna in Amsterdam, it's been an incredible journey so far.
Additionally, it turned out that the restaurant didn't have a menu. Instead, the food was served based on what the staff decided to cook up that morning. Although it was the most expensive meal I had ever had in my life, it was worth every penny. If you ever get the chance to visit Amsterdam, I highly recommend visiting Restaurant Gebr. Hartering. The food was delicious, and the experience was truly unique.
May 10, 2022
