
These stunning photographs show the painstaking physical exertion that are all in a day's work for a professional ballet dancer.

The images were taken by London-based photographer Rick Guest, who invited dozens of world-renowned artists into his studio to capture the 'determination and sacrifice' that goes into their gruelling training regimes.

Part of a book entitled What Lies Beneath, they will be exhibited at the Hospital Club in London from January.

They feature Spanish dancer Tamara Rojo, artistic director of the English National Ballet, as well as dancers from all over the world such as the Ukraine and Argentina.

Tamara Rojo, pictured, is artistic director of the English National Ballet. She was one of dozens of ballet dancers photographed in Rick Guest's studio for his book and exhibition, What Lies Beneath

Zenaida Yanowsky, left, is principal of The Royal Ballet and Melissa Hamilton, right, is a First Soloist. Their photographs will go on show at London's Hospital Club on 22 January

Ukrainian dancer Sergei Polunin leaps from the ground in one of Rick Guest's shots. The photographer told FEMAIL he wanted to 'remove them completely from the world where they perform, in order to better get under their skin'

Rick told FEMAIL: 'The photos were taken over the last three years, with the dancers always coming to my studio.

'I felt it was important to remove them completely from the world where they perform, in order to better get under their skin as people, not just the dancer playing a character.

'Part of their job is to make the physicality of what they do appear effortless and only be seen in terms of how it adds to the narrative of the performance, but this does a great disservice to their art and its appreciation.

'Part of their job is to make the physicality of what they do appear effortless': American dancer Sarah Lamb, Principal at The Royal Ballet, strikes a pose

Eric Underwood, left, and Ed Watson, right were two of Rick Guest's male subjects for his new exhibition

Argentinian ballet dancer Marianela Núñez is a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, London. Photographer Rick Guest said he wanted to 'capture their spirit and sacrifice' in the series of images

Jenni Schaferhoff, left, and Alison McWhinney, right, were snapped in their leotards as part of the photographer's project. He said working with the dancers was an 'honour and a privilege'

'It’s only when you get a sense of what they go through to make it look so easy that you can truly appreciate what they’re doing.

'The idea of capturing a true portrait, of convincing the dancers to allow me to see their vulnerabilities, to capture their spirit and sacrifice, their strength and determination, was always discussed before we started shooting.

'The resulting photograph was always a gift, something deliberately given to me, and it has been my honour and privilege to work with all of the dancers and be allowed to reveal something about them.'

UK-born model and dancer Louis McMiller was one of Rick Guest's many subjects. He hoped his photographs would 'show the character that underpins their performance, to see the determination and sacrifice'

Steven McRae, left, and Federico Bonelli, right pose topless in photographer Rick Guest's studio

Dancer Zarina Stahnke strikes a pose in Rick Guest's studio. His series of photographs, What Lies Beneath, will go on display at London's Hospital Club on 22 January

British dancer Olivia Cowley is a Soloist of The Royal Ballet, London, and is pictured in this candid and haunting portrait

Rick said: 'I wanted to make a series of portraits of the dancers themselves, as opposed to dancers dancing - to show the character that underpins their performance, to see the determination and sacrifice that it takes to succeed at such a high level.

'In an art form that deliberately conceals the enormity of effort that goes into its creation, we are not meant to see behind the curtain.

'But I think that this does a great disservice to the dancers, and that having a sense of what lies beneath both enhances our experience of the performance and leads to a more profound appreciation of the dancer’s essential being. These portraits are at once beautiful and brutal.'