Step by Step (1982–1989) brings together Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen’s photographs of girls and their mothers at a dancing school in North Shields, in the North East of England. Over six years, Konttinen followed the lives of the dancers, documenting their ambitions, relationships, and changing circumstances as they moved beyond the dancing school. The photographs present dancing as both a source of aspiration and a means of sustaining dreams amid difficult personal and social realities.
The book combines intimate portraits with the dancers’ own insightful and often witty narratives. Konttinen’s approach places individual experiences within the broader context of a working-class urban environment, exploring the challenges faced by women and the ways in which friendship, family, performance, and ambition shape their lives. The photographs move between moments of joy, vulnerability, determination, and uncertainty, creating a nuanced portrait of a community and a generation.
First published in 1989 and long out of print, this new edition has been extensively revised and extended by Konttinen. Printed in tritone, it seeks to preserve the richness and depth of the original photographs while bringing together a more complete account of the project. The work has acquired particular cultural significance through its influence on Billy Elliot. Lee Hall, the film’s writer, gave Step by Step to the production’s art direction team, describing the book as an important influence on the film’s visual world.
Born in Finland, Konttinen studied filmmaking in London and became a founding member of Amber Film & Photography Collective in Newcastle upon Tyne. Her long-term documentation of working-class communities, particularly Byker, established her as an important chronicler of social change. In 2011, her photography and Amber’s films were inscribed in the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register, recognizing their national value and importance.
Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen: Step by Step
Category: Photographer Monographs & Art Books
Author: Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen
Publisher: Dewi Lewis
Publication Date:
September 2026
Print Length: 144 pages
Language: English
Price: paid
paid
paid
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