Hardcover, printrun 300 of copies, design by Fiona Oehler, texts by Julius Werner Chromecek.

Dance in Vienna/Austria has not just had a high social value since the Congress of Vienna ("The congress does not meet, it dances"). Dancing has always been an integral part of this country, whether in an important equalitarian function (in rural dance the mayor is not superior to the municipal servant or the maid), or elitist, as at the opera ball. 

In economically bleak times (20s, interwar,..) there was demonstrably more dancing than during the boom. Dance is usually a cheap pleasure, what counts is the skill, musicality, and wit of the dancers, not their position in society.   

The situation of current dance providers, mostly former professional dancers, who run studios and chose to teach after their active stage career, is usually precarious in Austria, and this has become even more acute in times of the pandemic. Some of the studios I have photographed have closed their doors forever after the appointment for the photo shoot and have been converted into warehouses, for example. The dancers as artists are like many creative people: they can't help but live their passion and vocation, even if they can hardly make a living from it. 

The spaces in which dance takes place in Vienna are very heterogeneous and their appearance often follows the image/scene of the dance provided there; for example, hip hop studios are often found in dark basements with graffiti on the walls, tango studios exude morbid charm, dance schools where standard dances are taught try to convey a touch of the elegance of Viennese balls with dark wood paneling, mirrors and crystal chandeliers... 

For me, every dance room changes once it has been used to dance/rehearse in, even if none of the dancers are present anymore. Something remains, at least for some time, within the room...in conversations with dance room owners, it has become clear that they also feel this way. Within the framework of this project, which has been ongoing for about a year, I have captured these feelings photographically. For this purpose, I have taken a black and white picture of each of the recently danced in, but now orphaned, spaces in Viennese dance studios.  

I want to make a wide range of viewers aware of the magic of these locations, which are outwardly very different and yet analogous in their function. All pictures were consciously taken from the perspective of the dancers, without "beautiful" additional photo light, the existing light was used in each case, the way in which it is also seen by potential users of the rooms. 

Order at www.julius-werner.at.

Pages: 132
Place: Vienna
Year: 2022
Publisher: Self published
Size: 30 x 24 cm (approx.)

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