In ballet, elegant aesthetics and grace meet the limits of the human body’s capabilities. Elegance and rigor, discipline and passion—where extremes meet, they begin to inspire us. Photographer Alwin Maigler (b. 1996) has been working closely with the internationally renowned Stuttgart Ballet for many years, and the double publication Nuances (ISBN 9783735609946) and Nocturne is his personal declaration of love for classical dance.


Nocturne is Maigler’s most recent photo series. The photographer invited the dancers of the Stuttgart Ballet to leave their customary theatre setting and to instead be staged in urban spaces at night. Here, freed from the constraints of their profession, the dancers break with all convention and demand freedom: they jump into fountains, fight in parks, and climb statues. Texts, including one by Marcia Haydée, one of the most important ballet dancers of the twentieth century, complement the subversive and energetic images.