PEACE, HOPE AND DANCE

What started as a lockdown project for Wilmslow’s Senem Peace blossomed into a series of pictures capturing the grace and power of ballerinas, as well as raising money for a mental health charity

- Emma Mayoh

“It started as a documentary project, to photograph dancers in lockdown,” says Senem Peace. “As a photographer, it was a way of still being able to take pictures – something I love doing – but it was also about wanting to create something positive out of the situation we were all in and do something, in my own small way, for the community.

“I wanted to show people there is always hope; there is always joy in life and I thought capturing the grace, poise and beauty of dancers and ballet would fit perfectly with that.”

Senem, who moved to Wilmslow from Istanbul, has been a professional photographer since she was 22, working for national newspapers, magazines and PR & advertisement companies in Turkey. Following some years writing about travel, contemporary art and interior design – when she moved to Cheshire, and after the birth of her son, her love of taking pictures and her career in photography were reignited.