NYC Photographer Matthew Murphy Explores Dancer and Identity At DNA

Dance New Amsterdam (DNA), NYC's foremost progressive dance education and performance center, announces the opening of ‘Displaced,' a photography exhibition of 34 new works by photographer Matthew Murphy with an opening reception tonight at 7:00 p.m. at DNA's Gallery at 280 Broadway, 2nd Floor. The works will be on view through December 10, free and open to the public. The opening of DNA's Performance Project Showcase at 8:00 pm will follow the reception.

Displaced is a portrait series featuring twenty of New York City's greatest dancers, some at the beginning of their stage careers and others who have transitioned to roles behind the scenes. The project, created by photographer Matthew Murphy, separates the dancers from their stage personas and focuses on the idea of how intricately a dancer's identity is tied to movement.

"When I was 21, my career with American Ballet Theatre was cut short by illness. Leaving a profession I'd been dedicated to since childhood caused me to spend a lot of time questioning whether I could still call myself a dancer even though I'd stopped doing pirouettes. Over time, as I readjusted my relationship with the dance world, I began to realize that the act of dancing isn't what makes someone a dancer, it is a mentality and therefore still part of their identity. This realization was the origin for my first long-term dance portrait project, DISPLACED," says Murphy.

Rather than focus on athleticism and virtuosity, the series looks at the dancer without the dancing. Each subject was photographed on a hardwood floor with the idea that the images would be presented at unusual angles, furthering the viewers' experience of seeing each subject in a familiar setting, yet in a new way. By getting the dancer off of their feet, it alters their interaction with the camera and asks them to step away from their regular vocabulary to embrace stillness in a world that's largely defined by movement.

Matthew Murphy is a New York City-based photographer specializing in theater and dance. His work appears regularly in The New York Times, and additional credits include Bravo TV, New York Magazine, Playbill, Vanity Fair, The Village Voice, Broadway.com, Broadway World, Dance Magazine, The Financial Times, Dance Spirit Magazine, Movmnt Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, and The New York Post. He is a former member of American Ballet Theatre. The exhibit is made possible through the generous support of Kickstarter donors.

DNA's Gallery hours are 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m., Monday - Sunday.

About Dance New Amsterdam
Founded in 1984, Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) celebrates 27 years of cultural leadership in contemporary dance. DNA supports the life, career and longevity of dance artists through ongoing high quality contemporary dance education, opportunities for choreographic exploration and innovative performance, and service to the field and the Lower Manhattan community. DNA fosters the development of new and experimental works through commissions, residencies and subsidized space. We are committed to training healthy dancers, developing new audiences and bridging diverse communities by exploring the role of dance across a spectrum of contemporary dance styles and cultures.

DNA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and its 2011-2012 programming is made possible through the generosity of its supporters. As of September 2011, public funding provided by: the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA). Private funding provided by: Bloomberg Philanthropies, with support from the Kennedy Center/DeVos Institute; The MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; FJC, a Foundation of Philanthropic Funds; and Meet The Composer's MetLife Creative Connections program. In-kind support from: Arts & Business Council, Fox Rothschild LLP, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and Materials for the Arts. Additional support provided by our Advisors, Programming Partners, Neighborhood Partners, International Partners, and DNA's community of individual donors. For a full list of DNA's partnerships, visit www.dnadance.org.