Paul Smith: designs on dance

Recently, a young man called Steven McRae got in touch with me. At 24, he's one of the youngest ever principal dancers with The Royal Ballet. We got chatting about how I love to take photographs, and a few weeks later I was asked if I would be interested in turning my lens on The Royal Ballet's principal dancers, and the resulting pictures would be exhibited in my

I took The Royal Ballet commission with relish. I only had 20 minutes with each dancer, but luckily I work fast, even when I'm shooting my own campaigns. Half the battle in getting subjects to relax quickly is just having a nice conversation with them, while at the same time observing their posture or the structure of their face and thinking how it would best be lit. As a fashion designer, I'm used to working with models, manipulating their pose for the camera, but a dancer is a totally different creature. I didn't have to do anything; they are so professional and wonderfully trained that they naturally assume the most elegant positions.

I wanted to capture personal moments with the dancers. We took a load of Paul Smith clothes with us and let them choose anything they wanted to wear; these are portraits of them as individuals, rather than in costume, on stage. We've all seen wonderful photographs of dancers such as Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn flying through the air looking beautiful with the perfect pose and perfect line but it's incredibly difficult to achieve. I wanted to do something different. I hoped to capture the incredible physicality of these people. They are superb athletes at the peak of their powers; they're just so fit and so strong... dear God! They have a rare combination of grace, strength and agility and that I find endlessly fascinating.

The Royal Ballet Portraits exhibition is at Paul Smith No. 9, 9 Albemarle Street, W1, until 9 October. All prints are for sale in two sizes, in limited editions of ten and 20 (020 7493 4565)

TAMARA ROJO
Tamara grew up in Madrid with an industrial engineer father and finance director mother and began dancing aged ten. She performed with the Scottish and English National Ballets before joining The Royal Ballet as a Principal Ballerina in 2000. Known for her resilience, which she attributes to six hours of training a day as a child, Tamara, 36, is also Resident Guest Teacher at The Royal Ballet School and has modelled for Spanish clothes label Hoss Intropia. She lives alone in Bloomsbury and will be dancing in Theme and Variations later this month.

ROBERTA MARQUEZ
Roberta, 33, was born in Brazil to a Peruvian mother and a Portuguese father. After watching Swan Lake, aged six, she decided to become a ballerina. She trained at the Maria Olenewa State Dance School before joining the Municipal Theatre Ballet in Rio de Janeiro. In 2004 she joined The Royal Ballet as Principal and has danced Manon, Aurora and the Sugar Plum Fairy. She lives in Chiswick with her fiancé, Arionel Vargas, a Cuban dancer with The English National Ballet. She will be dancing in Onegin this season.

LAURA MORERA
Laura, 35, was born in Madrid to scientist parents who initially dismissed her penchant for ballet as just a hobby. She joined the Royal Ballet in 1995 and has been a Principal Dancer since 2007. In February last year she married former Royal Ballet soloist Justin Meissner and they live in Bethnal Green. Her greatest roles have included Titania, Manon and Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty. This month she will be dancing in Onegin.

MARIANELA NUNEZ
Argentinian Marianela, 28, and her Brazilian fiancé Thiago Soares, are the Royal Ballet's answer to Brad and Angelina. Trained at the Teatro Colon Ballet School in Buenos Aires, Marianela moved to the Royal Ballet School aged 15 and became the Company's youngest ever Principal Dancer, shortly before her 20th birthday. She and Thiago have often danced together, including in Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, and Thiago proposed on stage in front of the entire cast following a performance of Sleeping Beauty. They live in Covent Garden, close to The Royal Opera House.

EDWARD WATSON
Edward, 34, hails from Bromley in Kent. He began taking ballet lessons with his twin sister Lizzie aged four. At ten he became a Junior Associate of The Royal Ballet while training at the White Lodge (The Royal Ballet School's junior school in Richmond). He joined the Company in 1994 and was made a Principal a decade later. Edward, who is renowned for his chiselled looks and fiery temperament, lives alone in Waterloo and will be dancing in Danish choreographer Kim Brandstrup's new work as part of a mixed programme this month.

LEANNE BENJAMIN
Born in Australia to a businessman father and antiques dealer mother, Leanne, 46, trained in Queensland before winning a place at The Royal Ballet School at 16. Before joining The Royal Ballet in 1992 she danced for the English National Ballet and Deutsche Ballet. A Principal dancer since 1993, she has danced every part from Odette/Odile in Swan Lake to Giselle, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. She was awarded an OBE in 2005 and lives in Maida Vale with her husband Tobias Round, manager of the Donmar Warehouse, and their seven-year-old son Thomas. This autumn she will be dancing in the premiere of Kim Brandstrup's new work.