Quickstep, Montreal Photograph

Beverley Abramson is an accomplished Canadian photographer who is making her mark in the international arena. She developed a fine art photographic practice while combining photographic studies through Toronto's Ryerson University and workshops abroad along with professional editorial assignments. Her major work, "Gotta Dance: the Exotic Language of the Body", chronicles the magnetism of dance encompassing diverse and unusual dance forms and cultures. Her evolving project was launched after Abramson experienced the sounds of Cuba's legendary "Buena Vista Social Club". Captivated and inspired by the music and personal stories of these aging musicians she began her study of the universality of music and the relationship between sound, motion and emotion. This work took her into the world of performing artists, dancers and musicians during performances and in the intimate and often chaotic surroundings backstage to disparate cultures from two stepping in Texas, samba and capoeira in Brazil, ballroom dance in Montreal, exotic dance in Toronto, cabaret performances in Cuba, flamenco in Spain, burlesque and a dance school in New York, contemporary and classical dance in Israel, New York, Tango in Montreal, Buenos Aires, Iceland and Japan. As a social documentarian and versatile photo essayist, Abramson's humanistic stories - expressions of daily life within disparate cultures - employ a distinct style marked by empathy and wit. Her socio-cultural portfolio on the Middle East during the height of political turmoil is a reflection of her determination to investigate the resilience and compassion of life within the complexities of Israel. Her intent is to interpret the motion and emotion through her photography enabling the viewer to hear the music and have a better understanding of another culture. She has published several award winning photographic books: Bawdy Language - Exotic Dance & Off We Go!