Born to Dance: Celebrating the Wonder of Childhood

This excellent sequel to Dancers Among Us from photographer Matter succeeds in adapting his popular YouTube series into an album of photos of dancers aged two to 18 in gravity-defying poses. Traveling from California to London, Matter set up flash mobs in public places—a diner, a supermarket, and a library, for example—in order to capture a surprising juxtaposition in a landscape of motion. Using simple chapter headings such as “Oops” and “I’m Such a Nerd,” he sets up a visual narrative that combines childhood exuberance with the gracefulness of ballet. In “Play with Me,” he captures the flexibility of young bodies folded into back bends, leaping in grand jetes into giant bubbles in a park, and frozen in midair while eating ice cream. Many photos connect to YouTube through QR codes on the pages that can be accessed with smartphones. In addition to including professional dancers such as Nia Sioux of the Dance Moms reality TV show, the book features photos of dancers with health challenges, such as one being treated for leukemia in her hospital room. Matter’s photos are at once playful and mesmerizing. (Oct.)