Fred and Ginger in Prague

Fred and Ginger building, Jiraskuv bridge, central Prague, designed and built between 1992 and 1996 Architects: Frank Gehry with Vlado Miluni

Familiarly called Fred and Ginger after that acclaimed dancing couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, or the Dancing House and sometimes the Drunken House, officially the Rasin building (Nationale-Nederlanden building, Rašínovo nábreží 80, 120 00 Praha 2).

Images: (l-r, top row) Fred and Ginger by day; Mainly Ginger; Mainly Fred;
(l–r, bottom row) Fred’s dome—close-up; Ginger’s legs; Fred and Ginger by night. All photos by Michelle Potter

Michelle Potter, 22 June 2009

Featured image: Looking at Ginger from Fred

Royal Cambodian Ballet

In early 2008 the Royal Cambodian Ballet was scheduled to tour Holland, France and Slovenia. This picture gallery briefly documents a ceremony held on 20 March 2008 in an open theatre space close to the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh at which offerings were made and blessings sought prior to this tour.

All photos by Michelle Potter, March 2008.

Michelle Potter, 18 June 2009

Khmer Dance Project

In March 2008 I was generously funded to travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to help set up a project to record the stories of older Cambodian classical dancers who had had major careers with the Royal Cambodian Ballet in the decades before the infamous regime of Pol Pot. They had survived that regime, and were now passing on their knowledge to younger dancers.

The photos published here were taken during that week in Phnom Penh. They record the process of filming an interview with one of those dancers, Em Theay, a vibrant and dynamic woman in her seventies. Em Theay was interviewed by Hun Pen in the early morning of 22 March 2008 outside the National Museum. Em Theay’s generosity in sharing her knowledge and her passion for her art form shine through every photograph.

Filming Em Theay, Phnom Penh, March 2008. All photographs by Michelle Potter (taken with permission)

Michelle Potter, 1 June 2009

Featured image: Em Theay and camera crew, Phnom Penh, March 2008