Welcome to the red carpet. This is where the ballerinas stood. This is where the art was made.

PASSÉ is a series of large-scale aerial photographs by Brad Walls that transforms ballet into pure symmetry - where movement becomes design, and the human body becomes architecture. Shot from directly above a football field–sized red carpet, the images strip away the stage, the audience, and the traditional vantage point, leaving only form, geometry, and grace.

Three years in the making, the project involved 60 dancers, a 10-person crew, and a single 8-hour session of continuous shooting. A custom crane rig stabilized the camera overhead while a suspended light bounce created even, diffused light across the entire space. More than 20 compositions were meticulously storyboarded; 8 were successfully brought to life. The cast draws from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet School, and Ballet East.

The result is an unseen perspective on one of the world's most photographed art forms - images that feel simultaneously familiar and completely new.

PASSÉ began with a moment of unexpected vulnerability. During Walls' first ballet shoot in 2021, a group of young triplets were visibly moved by ballerina Montana Rubin. "It reminded me that ballet, while celebrated for its perfection, is also deeply human," Walls recalls. "I wanted to honor that - to make the distance between performer and viewer disappear."

Now, that distance is gone. Step onto the red carpet. Take the stage. Become part of the composition.