KAMILLA KHASANOVA
Sport Art Photographer — Dubai, UAE
Official Photographer — Uzbekistan National Team
"I entered ballet school in 1993. I photographed my first competition in 2022. Everything in between is why my images look the way they do.”
MY PATH
ON STAGE
I trained in classical ballet from 1993 and spent thirteen years as a soloist with the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Uzbekistan. Alongside the classical repertoire I danced character and national roles from around the world. Those years taught me how a body reads from a distance — how line, weight and timing turn movement into an image.
IN THE CLASSROOM
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Choreography from the Tashkent State Higher School of National Dance and Choreography, qualified as a Classical Dance Pedagogue-Choreographer. From 2006 to 2010 I lectured there on the Department of Choreography, teaching the methodology and theory of classical ballet. Teaching taught me something photography needs just as much: how to explain a correction so that the person in front of you can actually make it.
IN THE GYM
From 2009 I worked as a choreographer with the Uzbekistan Gymnastics Federation, and since 2013 I have been coaching gymnasts and dancers in the UAE — from three-year-olds in their first class to athletes competing internationally. I know what each level can safely do, and what it cannot do yet.
BEHIND THE CAMERA
I began photographing sport in 2022. I did not change professions so much as add a tool to the one I already had.
“I do not hand an athlete a set
of ready-made poses.”
Before we start I look at her age, her level, her natural build, her flexibility, the quality of her lines and how confidently she handles her apparatus. If an element is not safe for her today, I know what to put in its place — something she can hold, that still looks beautiful in the frame. A beginner, a teenager and an elite athlete cannot be photographed from the same template.
I see where a foot is half-pointed, where a line breaks at the shoulder, where a balance is one degree away from beautiful. And I build the light myself, so that it does not simply illuminate the athlete but follows the line of the body, the movement and the fabric.
Children are different from one another too. Some understand the task at once. Some need time, encouragement, or a game. That part is coaching, not photography — and it is why a session with me tends to feel like something a child enjoys rather than something she gets through.
1993–2001
Classical ballet training
2000–2013
State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Uzbekistan Soloist
2002–2006
Tashkent State Higher School of National Dance and Choreography
BA in Choreography · Classical Dance Pedagogue-Choreographer
2006–2010
Tashkent State Higher School of National Dance and Choreography Lecturer,
Department of Choreography Methodology and Theory of Classical Ballet
2009–2013
Uzbekistan Gymnastics Federation Choreographer
2013–
United Arab Emirates Choreographer and rhythmic gymnastics coach
From 2022
Sport art photography
ACCREDITATION
Official Photographer — Uzbekistan National Team
I photograph competitions across the UAE and internationally, from club tournaments to world championships. Athletes, clubs and events — UAE and worldwide.
FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships · Frankfurt 2026
FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup · Tashkent 2024 · 2025 · 2026
FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup · Tashkent 2026
FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics International Tournament “Shining Star” · Tashkent 2025 · 2026
Artistic Swimming World League · Dubai 2025 Uzbekistan Figure Skating Championships · 2026
MASTER CLASSES
I have photographed master classes and training camps with Olympic champions and world medallists in rhythmic gymnastics:
· Margarita Mamun
· Olympic champion Yana Kudryavtseva
· Olympic medallist Alina Harnasko
· Olympic medallist Melitina Staniouta
· Olympian Aleksandra Soldatova
· Anastasiia Salos
· Ekaterina Selezneva
· Ekaterina Sirotina
· National teams of Bulgaria, Italy and Russia
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Let’s talk about your session
Every art session starts with a free consultation — concept, styling, colours, what we want the final images to say.
Clubs and organisers: send me your dates and I will come back with a proposal.