Grace and Restraint
photography
2024
While attending a photography workshop in Cuba in February 2024, I had the opportunity to photograph ballerinas from Cuba’s acclaimed Ballet Nacional de Cuba at a mansion in the Vedado neighborhood. We worked individually with the dancers, requesting that they pose in various spaces. I particularly liked this photo because I felt it captured the significance of ballet in Cuban culture—where ballerinas earn a respectable wage of $30 a month—while also highlighting the limitations on freedom of expression in a country where the government controls all media and restricts access to outside information.
Wendy Pramik is a senior writer and staff photographer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She enjoys blending words and images to tell compelling stories about people and health care. An avid traveler, Wendy’s stories and photography have also appeared in national newspapers and magazines. When she’s not on assignment, you’ll likely find her exploring new places with her husband and two children—camera in hand, capturing moments along the way.