1. Photographer Luis Pons, a native of Washington Heights, wanted to combine the stoic beauty of ballet dancers and iconic New York City backdrops.
2. "There’s something romantic that comes from placing a dancer in these surroundings," Pons tells BuzzFeed.
3. "We dwell in all of these areas."
4. "For us, they're routine."
5. "Passing through on our way to work or coming home."
6. "Putting a ballet dancer in front of those backdrops forces us to pause."
7. "So we can reflect and look at these landmarks that we’re used to."
8. "And see them in a new light."
9. Pons says he came to photography during a particularly hard time in his life.
10. He came down with an illness.
11. Which he says morphed into a depression.
12. "I lost six months to a year of my life," he says.
13. "I picked up photography to cope and help me get through that time."
14. "I lasered into flamenco."
15.
16. "And then ballet."
17.
18. Next up the Dominican-American photographer is doing a beach series.
19. So how does his wife feel about him taking pictures of ballerinas all day?
20. "That subject came up," he says, with a laugh.
21. "I'm taking pictures of women but there’s a level of trust."
22. "Plus with iPhones these days she can find me."
For more from Luis Pons check out his website or Instagram.