IDarte (Public Higher School of Art and Design of the Basque Country) and the José Uruñuela Dance Conservatory have worked together on an artistic project that combines dance and photography.
Second-year students from IDarte’s photography programme and sixth-year students from the Conservatory have developed a creative initiative exploring the visual expression of dance and the body. This is the third consecutive year of collaboration between the two institutions, a partnership that continues to strengthen the relationship between IDarte and Uruñuela, while promoting students’ professional training and interdisciplinary work.
The aim of the initiative was to provide dance students with professional-quality visual materials — a personal portfolio to present to dance companies.
The photoshoots took place over two days. The first session was held in IDarte’s studio to focus on lighting and controlled portrait techniques. The second session was at the José Uruñuela Dance Conservatory, where movement and stage presence were captured.
In the following days, photography students carried out the postproduction and editing of the images and video. The final output included a series of professional portraits and a short “making-of” style video that summarises the process and the experience of collaboration.
You can watch the video here:
“This project has given our students the chance to immerse themselves in a real professional assignment, while understanding the importance of communication and collaboration across disciplines,” explained Laida Beristain, IDarte lecturer and project coordinator.
The photographs reflect each dancer’s personality, movement, and expressiveness, through a carefully considered technical and aesthetic approach.
According to Conservatory faculty, “the photographers’ artistic perspective has allowed our students to work on their personal image in a creative and professional way, maintaining the expressiveness of dance.”
The project was led by IDarte lecturers Laida Beristain, Amaia Garate and David Zabala, with students Jone Carbajosa, Ane Matxikote, Lucia Flores and Garoa Zubikarai.
From the Conservatory, the participating team included Elvira Illana, Arantzazu Susunaga, Ana Carmen Ruiz, Alejandro Alcain, Aiala Razkin, Iradi Salazar, Eider Espina, Alain Campón, Lucia Da Costa and Carla Pascual.
This initiative has further strengthened the relationship between IDarte and the José Uruñuela Dance Conservatory, opening up new paths for dialogue and exchange between visual and performing arts.