Back in the day, I was at a lot of photo shoots. I always enjoyed the way they sounded. The music, the click-click-click of the camera, the words of encouragement and directions from the photographer, the distant sounds of snorting from the bathroom*. (*It was the eighties.) But I suspect the sounds most prevalent at this shoot were coughing and sneezing. And maybe crying. I can’t imagine how these dancers will ever get the flour out of their noses and mouths and lungs and eyes.

Respiratory distress notwithstanding, I am nonetheless fascinated with these photos by lawyer-turned-photographer Alexander Yakovlev. He also takes many other, less-torturous photos of dancers and athletes, too.