Breathtaking Photographs of Alonzo King LINES Ballet Dancers

By Bonnie Chan

May 1, 2013

As of this year, Alonzo King has spent three decades changing the face of ballet, sculpting a traditional classical dance form into a modern template for fluidity and cross-pollination. In his choreography for San Francisco’s own Alonzo King LINES Ballet, King has collaborated with numerous artists and musicians representing traditions from all over the world, including Baka artists from the Central African Republic (People of the Forest, 2001), Shaolin monks from China (Long River High Sky, 2007), tabla master Zakir Hussain (Scheherazade, 2009), and actor Danny Glover (Before the Blues, 2004).

For years, King has also collaborated with talented photographers like RJ Muna and Marty Sohl to bring a trademark beauty to each season of LINES Ballet imagery, using dramatic lighting and flowing costumes (or no costumes at all) to emphasize the muscled lines of the dancers’ forms.

In celebration of Alonzo King LINES Ballet’s 30th Anniversary Spring Season, which just completed its run at the YBCA’s LAM Research Theater, we’ve compiled a collection of the most stunning LINES Ballet images we’ve seen over the years.