PHOTOS BY FALCO

An expansive, curated collection of famed choreographer and dancer Falco’s photography.

By the 1960s, Falco was already a “seminal figure in the evolution of…the male modern dancer,” and as a choreographer, he established the Louis Falco Dance Company. His work was seen on stage, in commercials, and in the movie Fame (1980). Always ambitious and forthright about his public profession, Falco was somewhat less outspoken about his passion for photography. But his interest in the art form predated even his career in dance, when, as a child on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a cheap camera in hand, he entertained family and annoyed strangers on the streets. The photos in this extensive black-and-white collection, dated between 1978 and 1986, show his enthusiasm never waned; many of the over 100 pictures here were taken during his dance company’s national and international tours, capturing moments on the road and behind the scenes. Others show he never outgrew his love of the city streets, capturing storefronts, street performers, bodybuilders, dumpster divers, and other kinetic pedestrians. Several series of nudes flaunt the choreographer’s fascination with the body, often obscuring the subject’s face and focusing entirely on anatomy. Editor Sener, who assembled this collection from the Louis Falco Archive, makes clear in his brief, concise introduction that for Falco, photography was no dilettante’s hobby. The intimacy many of these images capture can’t be understated, with recurring subjects and dance troupe members Lisa Nalven and Billy Gornel feeling like old friends by the end of the collection. Those looking for photographs of dancing will find few in this book; while there are many glimpses backstage, Falco himself lamented the predictability of dancers, which may be why snapshots of performances or practices are few and far between.

Observant, animated, and personal; a renowned figure’s artistic talent is revealed in another medium.