Emma Town // San Antonio, TX

“How did you get her up there?” Easy, a ladder! Turns out basketball hoops are a popular structure to photograph on medium format film, especially color film; I had no idea how incredibly popular they were when I started planning for this shoot. But a ballerina on top of a basketball hoop, I had never seen before. And there’s some sort of connection with basketball and ballet, for me. I drive by these courts every single day as I leave my house, and I’m always intrigued by the different lighting patterns and shadows presented at various hours of the day. 

My aunt Ruby was the head choreographer for the Chicago “Luvabulls” cheerleaders from 1986-1993, coinciding with Michael Jordan’s first stint with the Bulls. Unbeknownst to me, her love for dance and ballet was engrained in me long before I even knew what a ballerina was, or who this man was that was carrying me. 

Michael Jordan, 1992 NBA Finals Game 1, June 3 (aka ‘shrug game’)

And one step further, here’s Jordan in his own words, talking about his iconic Jumpman logo: “I wasn’t even dunking on that one. People think that I was. I just stood on the floor, jumped up, and spread my legs and they took the picture. I wasn’t even running and taking off. Actually, it was a ballet move where I jumped up and spread my legs. And I was holding the ball in my left hand.”

So the connection is there, it’s just a matter of connecting the dots and merging them together. Ballet and basketball can collide. Emma has always been a great sport when it comes to shooting, even if it means risking her life and sitting on top of a metal basketball hoop, not the most comfortable seat. 

January 15, 2021