Last week I had the opportunity to work with several local photographers for a fun, dance stylized shoot. Dancers have such a special place in my heart. My mom was a dancer and put me in my first ballet class at 4 years old and I was hooked with my first plie. I was put in my first competition when I was 4 and took home 1st place with my Siamese kitten routine from Lady and the Tramp. I won a 10lb Hershey Bar that day and I think my mom may still have some of that chocolate frozen in her freezer! Seriously!
I continued to pour my heart and soul into my dance all throughout my high school and college years. I still remember when I used to bundle up in the winter and go dance out in the back yard (since our home was too small for me to practice indoors) and choreograph different pieces so I could enter solos in competitions that I went to. My jazz shoes would be filled with mud from the mucky weather, but I didn’t care. Any day I got to dance was a good day- it was my sanctuary, my home base.
The story that I was remembered for the most in my high school was that I tried out for my high school dance team with a broken foot. My high school dance team was a nationally recognized team and I knew since I was in middle school that I wanted to be a part of that team. Disaster struck my 8th grade year when my parents divorced and I had to go live with my dad for awhile- outside the district of the high school that I so wanted to be a part of. Halfway through my sophomore year, I had the opportunity to go back and live with my mom right at the time tryouts were happening for the dance squad. I worked so hard that week, went to every practice and came home each night and worked even more. The night before try-outs, I was practicing in my room when I fell and with a loud “crack”, knew I had broken something. At 3 o’clock in the morning, it was confirmed in the emergency room and they sent me home with a boot and crutches. 4 hours later, I was up and asking my mom to take me to try-outs. She knew that there was no reasoning with me and we jumped in the car and headed out. When I walked into the gym, my coach just looked at me and shook her head. “Well”, she said, “guess you are going to try out in a chair!” Sure enough that is exactly what I did, and with 100’s of pairs of eyes staring at me in the middle of the gym, I tried out sitting in a chair and earned a varsity spot on my dance team. It was a pivotal moment in my life and helped shape me into the person I am today.
So, enough about me….For this shoot, we had the dancers represent two different “themes”. We had Ashlyn dress in classical attire and Jen represented a more “black swan” theme. Both of them did amazing and it was so much fun to work with them. It is always a pleasure when talented artists all come together for these shoots. Between the 7 photographers and 3 dancers that were represented, I learned so much and had such a great time. Enjoy looking at the photos and have a great day!