TAMPA, Fla. (BLOOM) — Photographer Elizabeth Waterman wants you to rethink what’s beautiful, what’s misunderstood, and what we too often ignore.
In her newest analog film series, Propulsion, the Los Angeles-based artist pairs pole dancers with jellyfish, two beings rarely mentioned in the same sentence, into vivid diptychs that explore grace, strength, and perception through movement. Shot entirely on 35mm and 120mm film, without post-production effects, Propulsion reveals a deeper kinship between the athleticism of pole artistry and the rhythmic flow of marine life.
“There’s something haunting and otherworldly about jellyfish,” Waterman said in an interview. “And I felt the same way watching pole dancers move. When you capture them at the right moment, it looks like they’re floating in water.”
Reclaiming the Pole
Waterman, who has spent more than a decade documenting adult entertainers and sex workers across the country, says the project began as an attempt to reframe how society sees pole dancers, often unfairly reduced to stereotypes. While some of her earlier work captured the humanity of dancers in strip clubs, Propulsion spotlights a specific subset of pole athletes: performers at elite showcases like Polemasters Playhouse in West Hollywood.
“These are true entertainers,” she said. “All genders, all body types, performing advanced moves mid-air. I had never had access like this before to really photograph the artistry of the pole itself.”
For Waterman, who identifies as a fine art photographer first and foremost, Propulsion marks a shift toward abstraction and layered symbolism, particularly in how viewers might react to the unexpected pairings.
“I hope it startles people,” she said. “That it forces them to question what they think they know about strippers or pole dancers, and lets them see these women through an artistic lens, not a sexual one.”
A Nod to Stripper Origins in Pole Culture
As pole dancing gains popularity in fitness studios, competitions, and even Olympic discussions, Waterman hopes her work reminds people where it all began.
“Strippers had to figure out pole work to make a living,” she said. “They didn’t always have formal training. They were scrappy, resourceful, and learned out of necessity—yet now they’re often left out of the conversation.”
She points to how mainstream artists like Cardi B have brought strip club aesthetics into commercial art and music videos, while the women behind those moves remain uncredited.
“They’ve inspired entire industries, pole fitness, fashion, music, and yet they’re still marginalized.”
I’ve heard similar frustrations firsthand from dancers I know, including my girlfriend, a former dancer herself. Many feel the pole world is quick to adopt the look and moves of strip culture, glitter, heels, and sensual routines—often without acknowledging the roots they came from. There’s a clear divide between what’s seen as “art” or “fitness” and what’s dismissed as “sex work,” even when the movements are identical.
Waterman’s work blurs that line intentionally.
“It’s about moving the needle,” she said. “These women are artists. They deserve to be recognized as creators, not just performers.”
The Jellyfish Parallel
Each dancer is paired with a jellyfish photographed at aquariums across the U.S., including the Monterey Bay Aquarium and upcoming trips to Japan’s famed Kamo Aquarium and Atlanta’s Magic City.
Waterman says her fascination with jellyfish, and the deep sea in general, came from witnessing their movement up close.
“There’s so much we don’t know about that world,” she said. “It’s beautiful, eerie, and completely alien, just like the misunderstood worlds I’ve been documenting.”
Florida as Muse and Mirror
Though Waterman is based in Los Angeles, Florida plays a subtle but meaningful role in Propulsion. Two of the jellyfish featured in the series, the moon jelly and the Atlantic sea nettle, are species commonly found along Florida’s coasts.
“It made sense to include them,” she said. “Florida is such a marine-driven place. But it’s also something else, it’s the stripper state.”
With more strip clubs than any other state in the country, Florida’s nightlife culture directly connects to the communities her work often highlights. For Waterman, that overlap made the Sunshine State an unspoken muse.
During our interview, I joked that the abundance of clubs might be thanks to “all the retirees and swingers down here”, a comment that made her laugh and nod in agreement.
“That’s probably true,” she said. “You need some entertainment.”
That blend of ocean mystique and uninhibited nightlife felt like the perfect backdrop for a series exploring beauty in misunderstood spaces.
“It’s an homage to what’s under the surface, both in the ocean and in the lives of dancers and entertainers,” she said.
A Chance Encounter at an Aquarium Sparked It All
The unlikely fusion at the heart of Propulsion wasn’t part of a long-standing artistic plan. It began with a spontaneous visit to an aquarium.
“I was watching these jellyfish float, and I felt the same thing I feel when I see a great dancer on the pole,” Waterman said. “They both move with this otherworldly grace.”
It was her husband who suggested pairing the two subjects. The idea struck a nerve.
“We mocked up the first few diptychs and looked at each other like, ‘This is exciting,’” she said. “There’s a synergy between them that makes you see both in a new light.”
The Spiritual Discipline of Analog Film
One of the most striking aspects of Propulsion is its use of analog film, a decision Waterman describes as both artistic and philosophical.
“You can’t fake it with film,” she said. “It forces presence. You have to get it right the first time, there’s no Photoshopping later.”
She calls the process meditative, even spiritual. With no instant preview or endless shots to fall back on, each image demands intention and trust.
“You don’t know what you’ve captured until the film comes back,” she said. “That mystery, that wait, it brings humanity back into the work.”
For Waterman, analog photography is a small rebellion against the swipe-and-scroll culture of digital life.
“We’ve become so addicted to the instant,” she said. “But art, like life, isn’t always about immediacy. Sometimes the best moments come from waiting.”
What’s Next
Propulsion will be exhibited at Photo London in May 2026 via Albumen Gallery, followed by a show at Boston’s Howard Yezerski Gallery later that year. Waterman is still actively expanding the series, with plans to photograph at more aquariums and venues through the end of 2025.
She’s also received strong reactions from the dancers themselves.
“When they say, ‘This is how I want to be seen,’ that’s everything,” she said. “They’re the reason I do this.”
In the meantime, her Instagram @elizabeth.waterman remains the best place to follow her work, which she documents through behind-the-scenes reels and travel updates.
Asked what kind of impact she hopes the series leaves, Waterman said:
“Art should change how you see the world. If this helps even one person reimagine what beauty, power, or performance can look like, that’s meaningful to me.”
