Lexa Armstrong
Project Link:
https://mediathread.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/s/CUdnce3985/project/41048
Statement: Looking at 20th-century ballerina Anna Pavlova’s pointe shoes at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts sparked my curiosity around the ethereal nature she embodied in such narrow, light, and supple shoes. I began to analyze a variety of visual depictions of Pavlova, from lithographs and other artistic renderings, to still photographs created in portrait studios, to moving images of her dancing. By comparing these images to some of her contemporaries and predecessors in the field, I recognized Pavlova’s creation of a unique technical aesthetic in classical ballet, and how not adopting certain expectations allowed her to rise to the level of recognition and fame she still enjoys today. This in-depth analysis would be possible without digitization and the tool of juxtaposition. The ability to “zoom in” on digitized images, not just figuratively but literally, fueled my continued study of her relationship with traditional ballet technique.