Photographer Jordan Matter started his Dancers Among Us Project by asking a member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company to dance for him in a place where dance is unexpected. So, dressed in a commuter’s suit and tie, the dancer flew across a Times Square subway platform. And in that image Matter found what he’d been searching for: a way to express the feeling of being fully alive in the moment, unself-conscious, present. This book is absolutely true and gorgeous. If you have known, or are the parent of a wiggling little critter turning pirouettes in all of places, then you might have a dancer on your hand to support. Not everyone is born to dance, but those that are, know it. For them, there is no separation of any kind in the world, just dance. And the images as well as the dedications beautifully illustrate it. Bonus Scan the QR code next to dozens of photos and watch behind-the-scenes videos documenting the shoots.

I loved the stories about Jordan's family before every chapter. The story about the receptionist. Ugh. So good. Dance is storytelling and a language; it is a means of expressing emotions, both powerful and beautiful. Dance requires you to build your problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Dance is multicultural. It transcends boundaries; it creates and connects friends” I've been obsessed with dancing lately and I just loved seeing the strength and lines of these dancers.

Often we fear the unknown when we could be anticipating it's rewards." I thought this was beautiful. And this is me. I'm so scared sometimes when I should be more excited of what the future holds. This book beautifully captures young dancers on and off stage. Everyday life seems inseparable from a dancer’s heart/body connection. Each young person featured here told the photographer that they were born to dance. Dance had chosen them.

Born to Dance: Celebrating Moments of Joy, from Toddler to Teen by Jordan Matter is a celebration of what it means to be young and full of possibility. The book is full of lovely color photographs of young dancers (ages 4-17) by Dancers Among Us photographer Jordan Matter, along with Jordan's personal observations and quotes from some of the dancers about joy, life, dance, and family.

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Brief Book Summary: Photographer Jordan Matter was inspired by his son’s active engagement with the world around him and created the photographic essay Dancers Among Us in 2010 in an attempt to reflect that awe and to externalize the emotions which typically go unnoticed as we pass by strangers. The dancers he has photographed express human experiences such as living, working, loving, grieving, and exploring in chapters of the same names.