Still point Book

A passionate study of the transitory beauty of dance.

In Still Point, photographer Ronald Compton captures on film the visceral beauty of classical ballet and modern dance. The former CEO of a major worldwide insurance company, Compton eschewed the monochromatic world of spreadsheets and meetings in favor of a more aesthetic pursuit: photographing members of dance companies in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut.

Compton's work exhibits a remarkable sensitivity to subtleties of form and a flair for theatrical color. Hours spent watching rehearsals and performances have given him a fine eye for the grace of dancers' movements and the effort and determination necessary to photograph them. Stillpoint is a paean to the capabilities and beauty of the human body and the creative spirit.

Still Point contains an Introduction by Larry Alan Smith, president of the School of American Ballet, and an essay by photographer Ralph Gibson. In an interview conducted by Robert S. Miller-chairman and CEO of Waste Management, the world's biggest "environmental services" firm-Compton discusses the differences and similarities between his two careers.