Movement at the Still Point by Mark Mann

Renowned portrait photographer Mark Mann is in conversation with several of his expressive dancer-subjects to celebrate the launch of Movement at the Still Point.

PLEASE NOTE: RSVPs are encouraged. Seating is limited and will be first come, first served. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Can't attend?

Renowned portrait photographer Mark Mann documents an impressive host of dancers—their eloquent bodies in posed tranquility and vibrant motion—representing years of excellence and varied disciplines of the art form.

A celebration of the strength and emotive ability of dancers, this book is a collection of images that captures the dynamism and energy of the mediums of both dance and photography. In homage to Mann’s hero Irving Penn, he installed a backdrop of old monochromatic muslin. Dancers from many genres—ballet, jazz, African, tap, Broadway theater, hip-hop, ballroom—perform and discuss their passions about the art form in this stark environment.

Mann captures the humanity and spontaneity of principal and lead dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Martha Graham Dance Company, New York City Ballet, and many other troupes. Subjects include dance personalities Misty Copeland, Carmen de Lavallade, Tiler Peck, Chita Rivera, James Whiteside, Omari Wiles, Xin Ying, and many others.

As a photographer, Mann is used to working hard at making something happen in his images; here, he has taken a slightly more passive role, witnessing and capturing the expressive and talented subjects that take control of each frame. This book is a testament to the emotional and physical power of each dancer, in stillness and in motion.

Mark Mann is a celebrity and advertising photographer. He was born in Glasgow, where he lived until he went to study in the prestigious photographic program at Manchester Polytechnic. Before long, the recent graduate was assisting innovative fashion photographers Nick Knight and Miles Aldridge, learning the ropes and building his own body of work. Three years later, Mark started shooting on his own, relocating to New York City.

Mark’s editorial work has appeared in Esquire, Men’s Health, Vibe, Spin, Fortune, Billboard, Parade and Complex, among others. He has shot countless celebrities, including Robert Redford, Michael Douglas, Iggy Pop, Jack Black, the Black Eyed Peas, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Rihanna, Queen Latifah, Simon Baker, Stevie Wonder, Bradley Cooper, Willie Nelson, Sean Connery, John Hamm and Jennifer Hudson. Mark has amassed a sizable advertising portfolio, as well. His clients run the gamut: Reebok, Adidas, Hennessy, Bombay Sapphire, Pepsi, Gillette, Vitamin Water, NHL, Zumba, Ford, Chrysler and Svedka to name a few.

Mark has just completed a yearlong project for Esquire Magazine, “The Life of Man”. He shot 80 American men ages 1 through 80, to celebrate 80 years of Esquire Magazine. This project took Mark to the White House where he was honored to shoot the sitting president, as well as former President Clinton. He also shot numerous other notable people and celebrities all across the country.

Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Hope Boykin was a three-time recipient of the American Dance Festival’s Young Tuition Scholarship. She attended Howard University in Washington, DC., when she felt a call to move to New York City to study at The Ailey School. Hope worked as assistant to choreographers Milton Myers and the late Talley Beatty, was an original member of Complexions, and danced many years with Philadanco, The Philadelphia Dance Company. Hope joined The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2000, where she continues to perform her duties as a dancer as well as her work as an educator, mentor, speaker, and choreographer.

Shoba Narayan has quickly established herself as a highly sought-after actress, gaining respect and visibility for her work in film, television and theater. Narayan recently starred as the iconic Princess Jasmine in the long-running Disney hit, ALADDIN on Broadway. She also originated and starred as Simran in the world premier of COME FALL IN LOVE - THE DDLJ MUSICAL at the Old Globe in San Diego, directed by Aditya Chopra, head of Yash Raj Films.

She made her Broadway debut in 2016 opposite Josh Groban in the 12-time Tony-nominated musical NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, notably becoming the first South Asian female in a principal role since BOMBAY DREAMS, which Playbill called "a personal milestone and a key moment on Broadway."

Among her numerous stage credits, she starred as Eliza Hamilton in the National Tour of the world phenomenon and Broadway smash hit HAMILTON from Lin-Manuel Miranda; and appeared on Broadway in 2020 as Nessarose in WICKED. Film and television credits include the award-winning independent feature film GROWING UP SMITH directed by Frank Lotito, QUANTICO (Mark Gordon / ABC), HALAL IN THE FAMILY with Aasif Mandvi, GOSSIP GIRL (The CW), COIN HEIST (Netflix) and MISTRESS AMERICA directed by Noah Baumbach.

Narayan is a Bharatanatyam (South Indian Classical) dancer and teacher, and has performed extensively throughout the US and India, including major prizes at several international dance competitions. She currently resides in New York.

Dancer and choreographer Gus Solomons Jr. was born on August 27, 1938 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Olivia Stead Solomons and Gustave Solomons, Sr. He attended Cambridge High and Latin School before enrolling at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956, where he studied architecture. During this time, he began studying dance as a student of Jan Veen and Robert C. Gilman at the Boston Conservatory of Music.

Upon graduation, Solomons moved to New York City to dance in Oscar Brown, Jr.’s musical Kicks and Company, with choreographer Donald McKayle. Solomons joined McKayle’s company shortly after, and began taking classes at the Martha Graham School. Solomons’ interest in postmodernism developed further at Studio 9, where he shared space with other modern dance colleagues and worked with avant-garde experimentalists, some of whom went on to form the Judson Dance Theater collective. While at Studio 9, Solomons caught the attention of Martha Graham’s student Pearl Lang, who cast him in Shira in 1962. In 1965, postmodern choreographer Merce Cunningham asked Solomons to join his company. There, Solomons created roles in How to Pass Kick Fall and Run, RainForest, Place, Walkaround Time, and partnered with Sandra Neels in Scramble. In 1968, Solomons left Cunningham’s company after sustaining a back injury. He then collaborated with writer Mary Feldhaus-Weber and composer John Morris on a dual-screen video-dance piece entitled CITY/MOTION/SPACE/GAME at WGBH-TV in Boston, produced by Rick Hauser. Solomons went on to found his own company, The Solomons Company/Dance, creating over 165 original pieces. He became known for his analytical approach and incorporation of architectural concepts as well as his exploration of interactive video, sound, and movement, as depicted in the piece CON/Text. In 1980, Solomons began writing dance reviews, which were published in The Village Voice, Attitude, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. In 1996, he founded PARADIGM with Carmen de Lavallade and Dudley Williams. Solomons also worked as an arts professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts until 2013.

In 2004, Solomons was named the American Dance Festival’s Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching. He received the first annual Robert A. Muh Award from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and served as a Phi Beta Kappa Scholar in 2006.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Rizzoli Bookstore, 1133 Broadway, New York, United States