28/08/2026
There is a special joy in capturing a portrait of performing artist. This Edinburgh Festival Fringe I was very honoured to meet Stella Kulagowski, who under her stage name saintstella is a Toronto-based performer, producer, and multidisciplinary theatre artist working across dance, burlesque, and theatre. She came to Edinburgh with her one woman play ‘Louise: The Last Dance’ about La Goulue, a young woman who in Fin de Siecle Paris invented the cancan at Le Moulin Rouge and was a muse to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. I got a chance to see the play with my mum (who is a retired professional dancer and choreographer) who was very impressed. And let me tell you, it is not easy to impress my mum! In this darkened room and just a chair, Stella transforms into Louise and takes us on this exceptional life journey; I welled up at the end.
When we met back at the studio in Leith on one free afternoon Stella had available in Edinburgh the goal was to show more Stella, rather than Louise. I was interested in a contemporary woman who takes on a historical figure while still keeping her relevant more than 100 years later. I also wanted to experiment with movement, having such an agile subject in front of the lens. Here is the first part of our photoshoot while I’m waiting for the scans of the negative films.
