Collier Schorr: Writing a Letter, Akerman Ballet, Act 1

Introduction by Peggy Phelan | The Song Cave, 2026 | Paperback | 5.5 × 7.5 in. | 240 pages | 180 b&w images


In "Writing a Letter, Akerman Ballet, Act 1", American photographer Collier Schorr (born 1963) gathers a selection of film stills from the opening act of her years-long ballet project inspired by Chantal Akerman's Je tu il elle. Drawing on the film's themes of transparency, sexuality, shame, and love, Schorr has created a work of videotaped dances in which she appears alongside her fellow performers. Intimate, daring, and deeply personal, the ballet challenges conventions around age, gender, and race that have historically shaped the world of ballet.Published as an artist's book, "Writing a letter" documents Schorr's sustained conversation with Ackerman while offering a moving reflection on how queer histories are passed on through admiration, adaptation, and repetition.