In her 76 years, Keiko Guest has lived a lot of life. By age eight, she had lived on three different continents, and by 12 she could speak three languages. But watching the Louisville Ballet perform “Swan Lake” at 20 years old might be the most transformative moment of her life. She enrolled in a dance class the very next day and has been practicing and performing ballet for 56 years.
But dance photography became her main line of work — a career path Guest says she chose by accident, after a friend taught her how to develop photos in her darkroom. Since then, her photos have captured several prestigious performances, including the legendary Ruth Mitchell Dance Theater and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
She takes ballet lessons four times a week and continues to inspire younger generations. This past Christmas season, she achieved a goal of dancing in a prominent soloist role in “The Nutcracker.”
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