Dance photographer Omar Z. Robles returned to his childhood homeland of Puerto Rico in February of 2017 to take pictures of local professional ballet dancers in some of the more iconic views of his childhood. He then returned to his New York City life, considering the project done. Then, of course, in September of 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated his beloved island, and everything changed.

Six months after Hurricane Maria ripped across the island, Robles returned to Puerto Rico, this time photographing dancers surrounded by the island’s continued state of devastation. And though these photographs are hard to look at, through them, Robles brings to light an eye-opening vision of how far Puerto Rico still has to go. But it’s not all devastation. The project is also a beautiful testament to how resilient its people are. His intention for the project, called Puerto Rico, Still Preciosa, was to spread hope and increase awareness. I would say he achieved both those goals.

You can see all of Robles’s gorgeous photos on his website, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

All images property of Omar Z. Robles.