Feel the Beat: Dance in Photographs

This exhibition explores the fascinating collision between dance and photography, two art forms operating in fundamentally different ways. Spanning from the early 20th century to today, Feel the Beat showcases how photographers have transformed the challenge of capturing movement into a creative endeavor, moving beyond simple documentation to reveal rhythm and emotion frozen in time. Drawing primarily from SFMOMA's collection, the show traces three distinct approaches: Anna Halprin's revolutionary everyday movement practice, the intense collaborations between professional dancers and photographers (including Eikoh Hosoe's iconic work with Butoh pioneer Tatsumi Hijikata), and intimate scenes of amateur dancers in social settings like Malick Sidibé's Mali Twist. Throughout, these photographs demonstrate how image makers became active participants in the dance experience rather than passive observers.