New York filmmaker Joshua Z Weinstein took an above-average interest in subway dance performers. (By “above-average,” I mean he glanced up from his newspaper long enough to notice them, which is more than can be said for most of us.)

It’s a good thing he did, too, because he deftly managed to elevate what can often seem an irritating (and invariably loud) performance into something approaching art:

After weeks of calls, I managed to book an afternoon shoot with some of the men, who call themselves the W.A.F.F.L.E. (We Are Family for Life Entertainment) crew: J-Black, Goofy, Boy Aero, Lex Aero, John-O and Sonic. I focused my lens on their hands seizing poles and feet fluttering in the air. As I zoomed in, I noticed that these self-taught artists are not just part of an underground subculture; their graceful moves also evoke a classical ballet.