ALTER EGO

An alter ego "the other I" is a second self, a second person within a person. It can even be the opposite of the real character. An alter ego may be a self-chosen second personality in contradiction to a pathological one like schizophrenia.
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The German dancing couple Anna Walz und Domenik Herrmann reveal such a self chosen character. In everyday life, Domenik works as an insurance salesman, two or three days a week. Anna teaches dance, especially to children. Before a tournament, for which they practice four to five hours a day, throughout a year, they change their outward appearance dramatically. Domenik: "The transformation is quite major, because in everyday life I never look artificial, I do not wear make up and I almost never dress my hair, I am very natural. During tournaments this is different. You have gel and hairspray in the hair, make up on the face, you are full of brown cream and other types of cosmetics. All this of course, makes a big difference." The photographs represent the deep and intense relationship of the couple, their environment and their eagerness towards becoming a successful dancing couple. They show the process of transformation as a joint project of two lovers.