Kaplan’s collection, an historic archive of choreographers who have influenced the direction of international contemporary dance and an up-to-date record of emerging choreographers, includes postmodern dance from New York (the early Judson Church Theater and their heirs), dance and physical theater from Europe, butoh and new dance from Japan, and Eastern Europe performance.

In choosing to photograph performing artists in the photographer’s studio – a different kind of stage – Kaplan plays upon the tension between feeling and artifice. She uses the portrait genre to approach dance obliquely, conveying qualities related to performance, but not its replication. Each image offers a visual translation of the body, lending a unique and personal identity to each artist’s larger work.