Dance around the world, part II

Dance around the world, part II: "

We humans are natural dancers - bodies in rhythmic motion completely alone, or in groups large and small, or in front of an audience. Dancers can communicate ideas, preserve cultural identities, strengthen social bonds, or just have a lot of fun. Collected here is another recent group of photographs of us, human beings around the world, professional and amateur, in motion for all of the reasons above and more. [Previously: Dance around the world, part I] (35 photos total)

A dancer of the Momix Dance Theatre Company performs a scene of 'Bothanica' at the Olympic Theatre in Rome February 3, 2010. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)

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Carnival 2010

Carnival 2010: "

Once more, it is Carnival Season in many countries around the world with a Roman Catholic heritage. Celebrations and parades are put on just prior to the observance of Lent. Over the past few weeks parades and celebrations have taken place throughout Europe, the Caribbean and South America. An estimated 730,000 foreign tourists, many fleeing snowy winter conditions in Europe and the United States, traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for this year's celebrations. Collected here are a handful of images from some of the elaborate celebrations of this Carnival season. (39 photos total)

A young woman participates in the Red Cross Children's Carnival competition at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on February 6, 2010. (REUTERS/Andres De Silva)

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Carnival 2010

Carnival 2010: "

Once more, it is Carnival Season in many countries around the world with a Roman Catholic heritage. Celebrations and parades are put on just prior to the observance of Lent. Over the past few weeks parades and celebrations have taken place throughout Europe, the Caribbean and South America. An estimated 730,000 foreign tourists, many fleeing snowy winter conditions in Europe and the United States, traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for this year's celebrations. Collected here are a handful of images from some of the elaborate celebrations of this Carnival season. (39 photos total)

A young woman participates in the Red Cross Children's Carnival competition at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on February 6, 2010. (REUTERS/Andres De Silva)

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Afghanistan, November, 2009

Afghanistan, November, 2009: "

President Barack Obama recently announced that he was determined to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan, and aides signaled to allies that he would send as many as 25,000 to 30,000 additional American troops there. Obama will formally announce his decision in a national address at 8 p.m. Tuesday from the Military Academy at West Point. As casualties mount on both sides, 2009 is shaping up to be the deadliest year yet for coalition troops - twice as deadly as 2008. American and Afghan officials have been encouraged by the recent rise of independent anti-Taliban militias in Afghanistan, even though their emergence is recent and supporting them raises fears of the consequences of arming and training Islamic militants. Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan. (42 photos total)

Cpl. Casey Liffrig leaps for cover while Lt. Thomas Goodman gets down as Taliban fighters ambush U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division during a patrol in the Pech Valley of Afghanistan's Kunar province on November 3rd, 2009. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

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National Geographic's International Photography Contest 2009

National Geographic's International Photography Contest 2009: "

National Geographic's International Photography Contest attracts thousands of entries from photographers of all skill levels around the world every year. While this year's entry deadline has passed, there is still time to view and vote for your favorites in the Viewer's Choice competition. National Geographic was kind enough to let me choose a few of their entries from 2009 for display here on The Big Picture. Collected below are 25 images from the three categories of People, Places and Nature. Captions were written by the individual photographers. (25 photos total)

Nazroo, a mahout (elephant driver), poses for a portrait while taking his elephant, Rajan, out for a swim in front of Radha Nagar Beach in Havelock, Andaman Islands. Rajan is one of the few elephants in Havelock that can swim, so when he is not dragging timber in the forest he is used as a tourist attraction. The relationship between the mahout and his elephant usually lasts for their entire lives, creating an extremely strong tie between the animal and the human being. (Photo and caption by Cesare Naldi)

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