Love this new series from New York-based Photographer Sayuri Ichida. Featuring New York-based ballet dancer, and fellow immigrant from Japan, Mayu, the images diverge from typical dancer portraits — taking Mayu away from the formality of the stage and placing her outdoors.

Exploring a sense of displacement and their shared struggles as single women living abroad, Ichida approached Mayu as an object in a frame, challenging her to go outside her comfort zone and do things differently than her formal training as a ballerina. As Ichida explains:

“Everything she does as a dancer is so beautiful, so I asked her to not be too beautiful.”

See more from Ichida’s fantastic series below.