Each one of us has our own voice, our own way of speaking. Dance is no different than this, except for the fact that instead of speaking with words, it speaks with movement. As I progressed more into my dancer’s soul series, there were still moments where I was wasn’t entirely sure where I was going with these series. What my voice was. All I knew is that I wanted to photograph dancers differently that what one normally sees when they think of dance photography. But as I photograph each dancer, the path becomes more and more clear.

Meet Melissa, a beautiful dancer who happens to be one of my dance instructors. We met when she took over the adult jazz class at the studio, and she and I hit it off. We gabbed like we were old friends. :) I told her about my dance project and immediately asked her if she would like to be a part of it.

Often when I go into these shoots, I don’t have a set idea of what is going to happen. The same happens for many of my other shoots – like with engagements and weddings, and etc. I may scout out locations to get a feel for the place and perhaps the light, but for the most part, I am winging it along the way. When something captures my fancy, I gravitate towards it. When it comes to shooting people, a lot of the factor not only comes with the location, but the people themselves. Shooting people is an art that requires connecting with people, and most importantly, authentically capturing them in the best way possible. And I don’t mean the perfectly posed portrait. I mean looking towards the best in them and saying: you are enough.

In this, it means making them comfortable and allowing them to be themselves and speak freely through not only their voices but their movement, their body language. That is not the easiest task in the world to do — a lot of times when a camera is pointed at someone, they will put up a “front,” pose, make a camera-worthy face and put their best foot forward. I am totally guilty of this myself! There is nothing wrong with that, but it’s not who they are deep down. And that is what I am interested in when I photograph people. The beauty that emanates from within. When people feel comfortable enough to let themselves go.

Coming back to dancers, there is one thing that I think happens with classically trained dancers — they tend to bury their own voice when they dance. Not everyone does this — the dancers that are truly captivating have the ability to let their own soul seep into their movement, but many dancers tend to shove this in the back corners of themselves because classically trained dancers are almost always told what to do. How to look. How perfect your line should be. No, that’s not good enough, keep pushing. That foot could be pointed just a little bit more. That leg could be extended just a little more. And even if it’s not necessarily coming from someone else, it will be coming internally — comparing themselves to others who can do all those things they can’t. It’s a dangerous thing, and causes one to put themselves aside to strive to be someone else (or a more perfect version of themselves) because they no longer think that they are enough. Like I’ve stated before, it is important for dancers to improve skills, but I also think it is important to not lose sight of who you are in that movement.

When Melissa and I first began shooting, I asked her to warm up and dance to a few songs while I snapped away. The beginning of a shoot is always the “getting to know you” phase where we feel each other out and begin to get comfortable around one another. About halfway through the shoot, I noticed that I felt more when I saw Melissa dancing with her upper body. When I saw her putting her energy through her upper half — it’s as if I felt her talking. Speaking. Her dancer’s soul coming straight on through. It was after that realization that I asked her to focus her energy on her upper half and from that point on I began to get really excited about the images because then I felt like I could see her. She was speaking to me. And that was enough.

I realized after this shoot that there is another dimension to these series that I did not consider until now. The idea that these shoots are giving dancers a platform to speak. Speak from their own voices. Not just something someone else choreographed. I want to hear them. I want them to come out so that they can reconnect with that thing that made them want to dance so badly in the first place years ago.  Sure, it can be connected with through improv dance as well, but I feel like there is something more vulnerable with having that photographed because it’s like you can see the layers and dimension and depth in a photo that you may not get otherwise save being right in front of them. Plus you can revisit that moment more & not only that, I feel like a photograph allows you to sit in a moment for longer than you might in any other way. In this – it’s scarier to be photographed doing something so vulnerable.

But the beauty you see in it is definitely second to none — save for being in that very moment yourself.

I have made it a goal of mine in 2012 to photograph at least one dancer every month for this project. Who knows where the path will take me, but I just know that each time I photograph a dancer, I gain a indispensable amount of insight that makes the shoots themselves just totally worth it. I feel like I am creating and working towards something very worthwhile here, and that gives me great, great joy . !

(If you know of any dancers that may be interested in this project, please have them contact me! mail at enpointephotography dot com)

past dancers: emily | tiffany

It was my birthday earlier this week — the big three-oh! I know friends who panicked at the idea of turning 30; we no longer can say we’re “twenty-something,” and we can no longer blame our youth on things. But I think the thing that scares people the most is that 30 is like some age marker that we set for ourselves when we were younger. How many of us thought that at age thirty, we’d have it all figured out and that we’d have achieved goals that we had set for ourselves when we were younger? Or at least, we’d be well on our way. To be honest, turning 30 didn’t feel all that scary to me, mainly I think because I feel like I’ve accomplished so much already at the age of 30. Are they all the things that I thought that I would accomplish when I was young? No, but it doesn’t diminish them – my life goals just shifted as I got older. And what I have achieved in the thirty years I have been alive is certainly something to be proud of, and very, very thankful for.

The biggest accomplishment (outside of my photography ventures), I would have to say is reaching a point that I’ve always wanted to reach when I was a little girl — and that is to dance en pointe in ballet. I don’t think I’ve actually blogged about that here — I’ve mentioned it on twitter and facebook, but for some reason, I never brought it up here.

(photo of tiffany, taken when we did her dance shoot)

Funny, because it is such a huge thing. I mean, my business name is called En Pointe! It’s something I’ve always, always wanted, and it only took me 25ish years (going back to when I began to want to become a ballerina) to achieve it. It is such a huge thing because I was 29 when I started doing pointe work (I started classical ballet training at 18 and attended classes on and off), and I know of so many people who think that since they didn’t start young, they can’t do something like that. There are so many things in life that are like that — things that we desire to do, but we think because we’re no longer “young” we can’t do them. We can’t achieve them. Like our age is some barrier from actually doing it! Sure, with age comes physical problems, but I think with age, comes the understanding of our own bodies & selves better. On top of that, I honestly think that with passion, commitment, and a love of whatever you’re doing and a true desire to do it, you can achieve anything.

(photo of tiffany, taken when we did her dance shoot)

Which brings me back to beginning pointe. There are times in ballet class when I can’t believe I’m actually doing pointe work – it is seriously a dream come true. And for that I can’t be more thankful.

I am externally thankful for these 30 years, and I am so extremely excited to see what the year & decade has to bring. I am thankful for a loving better half, my beautiful friends, my amazing job & clients, and the ability to do the things that I love so much. <3

Happy Thanksgiving to you all and I hope you spend lots & lots of quality time with all the people and things that make your life rich! xo

“It feels like a really good conversation. There’s an exciting chemistry that runs through my body. Have you ever been on a really good first date? Or maybe spent hours on the phone with a new boyfriend and not even realized it was three a.m? I am energized and smitten. I am in love.”

- Tiffany
Dancing Branflake

. . . . . . . . .

Perfecting technique is something that every dancer strives for. This is how they improve and grow. While it is essential in dance, I find that it’s only part of the equation to a talented dancer. It’s only part of the equation to dancing itself.

The other part, I think, is to let go.

When I approached Tiffany for my dance photography project, I was excited because I have known Tiffany since high school, and we went through a part of high school dancing together in our marching band’s colorguard & winterguard. She is a beautiful dancer, and a wonderful soul; eager to dance, and ready for whatever I threw at her.

I asked her to dance barefoot on the grass; dance in pointe shoes on the cement. I asked her to picture herself in different scenarios; to dance for specific people in her life.

I asked her to let go.

I asked her to let go of perfect technique. Let go of how things look. And let her spirit fill the moves.

Letting go, I think, is vital to dance because it allows our true selves to come out in our dance. It allows each extension, each step, each breath, and each movement to be from something else deep down inside of us. We are no longer thinking about what we are doing, we are just doing. And from that an energy emanates from us, from our souls.

My goal is to capture that life, that energy that comes through. Because it is who we are deep in the core of us, and when we see it come through in dancing, it’s like magic.

. . . .

When I first began this project, I knew I wanted to photograph dancers. I knew that I wanted to photograph them differently than I had seen in the past. Maybe not in a completely revolutionary way, but in a way that meant something to me. In a way that would show how it felt to dance. Like what Tiffany said above, it’s much like a fantastic conversation – you feel energized, smitten and in love. I want to continue to explore this, and to share with you all my discoveries in capturing this energy in images.

I do hope you enjoy these images of Tiffany, dancing her heart out, letting go & just being. :)

. . .

Be sure, there are much much more dancers to come. You can also check out the last dancer I photographed, Emily.

. . . . . . . . .

For some time now, I have wanted to photograph dancers. Dance was like one of those things that hovers in your life; for me, it was always, always a passion. Growing up, there wasn’t a moment I didn’t want to become a ballerina, or dancer of some sort. I used to watched the Nutcracker almost every year live, as well as watch it on PBS, where there would be no talking for hours, and finally when I switched the channel, I found it strange to hear people speaking all of the sudden. I was never able to take classes when I was young because my family couldn’t afford it, so I would simply rely on day dreaming, putting on home “performances” and watching others dance. But that passion never died.

As I grew older and gravitated towards photography, I always had dance in the back of my head. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to dance full out for my own benefit, but that’s a post for another time. As my passion for photography grew, I always held dance there, even when I named my photography business. It has always had a hold on me, like a magnet.

I love photography because I love being able to show people how I see the world, and how things make me feel. I love dance because to me, it’s a way to feel free, to let yourself go, to visually interpret music. Dancers dance for so many different reasons, but as any artist, it’s a means to communicate, and get things out of their body that they may not be able to say through their mouths. Because of my two great passions, it was only natural they would combine at some point. And that point has arrived.

I met Emily only this year, but I’ve seen her dancing for much longer than that through the recitals at my dance studio. Emily is a wonderful spirit, full of life and energy on top of being a beautiful dancer. I knew I wanted to photograph her to capture that – to capture why she dances, and the dancer’s soul that she has. I didn’t want to just capture how amazing her leaps are (which are amazing), or how dynamic her dancing is. No, dance is so much more than that. Dance is a voice. Dancing not only involves the large moments when you are leaping, but the little moments in between. When you take a breath. When you gather yourself. When you show the world just what you want to say.

When you let yourself go.

.

I am so excited to be sharing this with you all, but these images are only a scratch on the surface for me. I want to dig more, meet more dancers, photograph their stories, their dancing, their souls. I want to explore that in photographs. And I want to share it with the world.

<3

I meant to post this loooooonnnngg ago (mad props to Norma for sending this to me – so sorry it took me only forever to post!), but wedding season got the best of me, and I never got around to it!

Sandy & Sean had an AWESOME first dance, and I knew I just had to post the video to share with you all! :D Enjoy!

Video courtesy of the awesome Norma & John from NR3 Video Productions. :)

Sandy & Sean’s First Dance from enpointe on Vimeo.

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Remember, you have until tomorrow night to submit your lists for the giveaway! :)

I recently photographed the recital of the dance studio I’m a part of – unfortunately, I didn’t participate this year (next year, for sure ;)) And here is one of the ballet numbers. I love ballet and think it’s so beautiful – I think I’m going to take classes again this fall ;)

More to come in the near future :)