For his ‘Showtime’ series, fashion photographer Sam Nixon focuses his lens on the guerrilla dance crews breathing new life into New York’s subway system. It’s mind blowing how these dancers manage to measure their proxemics between seated + standing commuters to their props in the form of poles + overhead bars in a blink!
What makes these pictures more than amazing, is their blood red hue which Nixon explains to Dazed, ‘It’s the colour of Mars – domineering, urgent + powerful. It demands attention + commandeers the senses’. Crazy how the coloring of these pictures makes them look both retro + contemporary, simultaneously.
‘They’re really athletes’, Nixon explains, ‘They’ve learned to use the train as an extension of their bodies. They’ve got the exact dimensions of every pole, every handrail on the train + off. They know every platform, every line + they know which spots have vital power adapters to charge their boom boxes’. Now THAT’S being resourceful.
The best part of it all, for as much as many commuters would rather do without any of these surprise performances, these talented teen crews perform up to 20 sets an hour, bringing in $150 daily – not a bad for a career, if you ask me.
‘I’m immensely thankful that the performers pulled me along for the ride + let me into their intimate sphere’ Nixon says, adding, ‘And I’m glad that I was able to display their world in an alternative light’, + so are we Sam, so are we! Thank you!
(via Dazed)