Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor:  Joseph Golder,  Agency: Newsflash

These stunning images show Russian ballet dancers striking elegant poses among piles of rubbish to raise awareness for the environment.

The ‘Breath’ project was the brainwave of two choreography graduates from the north-western Russian city of Saint Petersburg in Leningrad Oblast, and the shoot was carried out by photographer Irina Yakovleva and producer Maria Ryleeva-Kogan.

According to the group, they wanted to contrast elegant dancers with rubbish piles to highlight the problems of waste processing and its effects on the environment.

The photoshoots took place over a six-month period due to the ballet dancers’ busy schedules and resulted in 45 images.

In the photos, elegant ballet dancers are seen striking poses in full gear among rubbish piles and landfills.

The group said that any money raised will go towards handling the issue of illegal landfills, especially in Leningrad Oblast.

Irina and Maria said the dancers had to perform in dresses from ‘Swan Lake’ in freezing temperatures among smelly piles of rubbish.

They added that all of the ballet dancers invited to take part in the project accepted.

The photos are currently being exhibited in a city gallery and organisers plan on doing the same in the western capital Moscow, according to reports.

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