Verreaux’s sifakas are Critically Endangered and superbly adapted to life in the trees. But when they need to cross an open area too wide to leap, they descend to the ground and move in a remarkable sideways hop, their arms held high for balance. The result looks remarkably like a dance.

At Berenty Reserve in Madagascar, we spent time observing the sifakas’ routine and discovered that they crossed one particular road at nearly the same time each afternoon.

Once I knew where they were likely to cross, I positioned my tripod so that I could photograph them against an uncluttered orange background. Then it became a waiting game.

The crossing itself happens very quickly, so everything had to be ready in advance—camera settings, focus and composition. When the sifakas finally appeared, there was no time to make adjustments. I simply photographed as fast as the camera would shoot.

This was the frame I had hoped for: the sifaka suspended for an instant, arms raised, with nothing behind it to distract from that extraordinary movement.