Archive for April, 2013

seems i can’t stay out of trouble

April 25, 2013

i’ve not been shooting much these days and sometimes that bothers me. to tell the truth i’ve not found something that interests me. so drawn between the two extremes of not creating or trying to create just never turns out that pleasing. sometimes the magic works but mostly it fizzles nowhere.  one never knows the quality of models posting on craigslist or model mayhem for that matter they are all professional models, or so they say. heck i’ve never said i was a fashion tog, one would never think that looking at my portfolio. maybe in some art director head my look would look good in an upcoming campaign but they won’t be looking for my vision any time soon.

i continue to look around for interesting people to work with as i did with this model contacting her. she was eager to work with me after seeing my portfolio. she set up a date and i thought why not? she had posted a couple interesting pics on her modeling page which i thought i could work. when she showed up here she didn’t bring the stuff i had requested.

i really need to discerning when it comes to my work, but i though well i can make this work. so i had her try on this outfit.

red camisole

red camisole

we took a couple of these which turned out ok. as i said i am not a big fashion photographer but i think it’s nice to have lingerie in ones portfolio. we quickly moved on to this outfit.

amy lo

then on to this

amy lo

i give my models a prop so they have something to do with their hands. hopefully it will inspire them to do something creative with it. below wearing a black scarf.

amy lohere is a multi colored cloth belt

belt

belt

now i move onto the last a red silk cloth which she loved how it felt, who wouldn’t?

_MG_6893

finally winding up here.

_MG_6901

i sent her a copy of the first image retouched a bit because she had what i’d call problem skin, lots of bumps and her answer was could i retouch her face? i said i had already done some and felt doing anymore would be dishonest. she didn’t like that oh well.

but i posted a question on model mayhem retouching forums about retouching a models portfolios for her saying i thought it dishonest. would i have considered working with her because all the facial skin issues? probably not. so i am the ogre here.

oh well

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Plea of support from Dance New Amsterdam

April 18, 2013

here is a plea from Dance New Amsterdam’s Martha Chapman. i’ve written & posted here about them before because i believe in them and the work and support they give to the dance community.

Hi Friends & Colleagues!
I am writing to you as a fellow-lover of arts and culture, here in New York City and everywhere! Thanks to good folks like all of you, the arts are appreciated, created, trained for, agonized about, and in general celebrated. Keep it up!

As many of you know, I teach and am on the Board at Dance New Amsterdam, where some of you know me and my classes. Our annual Spring Fundraising Drive is starting up – and I am asking if you would be willing to help us meet our funding goal of $100K this year! It’s ambitious, but we already have donors (including me) who’d pledged almost $30K, and the drive is yet to “officially” start. Let’s keep dancing!

If you can contribute yourself – great! Any and all donations are welcome – www.dnadance.org – click on “DONATE.” AND – there will be some special benefits like tickets to DNA shows for new donors once the funding drive kicks off this coming Thursday. If you’d like to receive this official eblast from DNA, send me a message and I’ll forward the eblast to you. You can sign up for eblasts yourself on the site too.

But…if times are tight and a donation is not possible for you at this time, woud you be willing to reach out to 3 of your connections, asking them to donate? “Crowd-sourcing” is a great way to introduce folks you know to a great place that makes dance and dancers.

AND – if any of you are in New York and can attend, I would love to invite you personally to a terrific event on Thursday, May 16th… DNA’s first annual “Spring Soiree,” to be held at Plein Sud – a swanky hotel down the street from our studios on Chambers St. Come raise a glass to dance and the arts… let me know and I’ll send your contact info to DNA’s offices asking them to send you an invite.

Thank for your attention and for being the fantastic, art-conscious and creative people that you are.

Blessings –
Martha Chapman
marthachapman62@gmail.com

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The Moving Beauty Dance series

April 13, 2013

beginning next week on 4/15/13 through 4/21/13 at the Secret Theater i have the pleasure of working with a friend/dancer who is producing this week. my part of this is designing the lighting and what ever else is needed to make this successful.

The-Series-II_inv

that’s Juan Michael Porter with a bag over his head. yes in the subway he’s always pushing the limits. that’s one of the reasons why i like him. this should be an interesting week with 18 different companies on the bill, three each night a culture cross section of small dance companies in the city. wow.

who would want to miss this? all week i’ve been contacted by the various companies asking about the lighting plot while they share with links to their work. one of them is Yoshito Sakuraba Artistic Director/www.Abarukas.org   just saying they are open to interpretation. others have different needs. i am never sure after seeing videos what the are performing but hey i love this stuff see michael mao dances here.

as i am writing this the energy is building up around me. a lot of work yes, climbing ladders at my age yes but i wouldn’t have it any other way. this is what i do, this is what i love. having my partner/wife to share it with me is even better.

please come out and join us. it would be our pleasure to meet you and hopefully your pleasure seeing all this wonderful work by so many talented people.

here is the performance run down

The Moving Beauty Series presents
The Series
7 nights of dance. 3 companies a night.
www.danceseries.org

Monday April 15th through Sunday April 21st @ 8 PM

Tickets: $15 for Artists and Students
$20 General Admission
Available at the door or online at www.wepay.com/events/the-series

In keeping with it’s mission statement of producing ‘artistically provocative yet commercially viable art’, The Moving Beauty Series has created ‘The Series’ as a platform to present 20 exciting dance companies in concert at The Secret Theatre.

The Series kicks into high gear on April 15th, 2013 with the live premiere of Lost in Between, a dance and music collaboration between ‘Together Alone’ (Arielle Baron and Elnard Jones) and Juan Michael Porter II. The evening continues with stand-alone concert pieces from Hailey Lauren and Colleen Hoelscher, also in collaboration with Together Alone.

The Moving Beauty Series; beautymoving.com

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 features the brilliant Michael Mao Dance’s latest collaboration with the composer, Huang Ruo, Sandra Kramerova & Artists’ spiritual exploration of ‘Aqua(rius), and Charly Wenzel & Dancers’ hybrid of contemporary dance and LED light show. All three companies make vivid use of video art to accentuate their performances.

Michael Mao Dance; michaelmaodance.org
Sandra Kramerova & Artists; sandy006.wix.com/sandrakramerova
Charly Wenzel & Dancers; charly-wenzel.com

Wednesday, April 17th, 2013 showcases a wide palette of concert dance with Undertoe Dance Project’s fusion of tap and concert jazz dancing, Caliince Dance’s dance theatre narrative of developing community across the globe and finally Nikki Nasto and Animal Mechanical’s presentation of experimental contemporary dance and performance art fused with jaw-dropping aerial feats.

Undertoe Dance Project; undertoedance.com
Caliince Dance; caliincedance.org
Nikki Nasto; nikkinasto.com
Animal Mechanical; animal-mechanical.com

Thursday, April 18th, 2013 delves into the world of spirituality and finding a sense of self with a collaborative multimedia work from Perceptions Dance and Studio Anya led by directors Melissa Gendreau and Courtney Bauer. The evening rounds itself off with a vision of lost connetions and recovery in Japan through the eyes of Abarukas’ artistic director, Yoshito Sakuraba.

Perceptions Dance; perceptionsdance.org
Studio Anya; studioanya.com
Abarukas; abarukas.org

Friday, April 19th, 2013 is a night of dance theatre of every variety.  First, with a magnificent opening from the ground breaking tap dancer, TED Artist, and Artist in Residence at Webster Hall, Andrew J. Nemr. The evening moves into the waters of musical theatre with an exciting premiere from Glitter Kitty Productions before returning to the shores of traditional jazz and contemporary dance as shown by DoubleTake Dance’s artistic Directors, Ashley Carter and Vanessa Martinez de Banos.

Andrew J. Nemr; andrewnemr.com
Glitter Kitty Productions; glitterkittyproductions.com
DoubleTake Dance; doubletakedanceco.com

Saturday, April 20th, 2013 is the concert with the greatest content variety. We have a story of community and Americana inspired narrative from ACB Dance Company, a tapestry of isolation inspired by the overuse of online communication as put forth by NonaLee Dance Theatre, and an incredible retelling of ‘Swan Lake’ from SUNPROJECT, wherein ‘The Swans’ assert their personalities and take over the tale. A vision of dance like no other from the geographical locations of Connecticut, the American South, and Korea.

NonaLee Dance Theatre; nonaleedt.org
ACB Dance Company; acbdance.org
SunProject; http://www.sunproject.co

Sunday, April 21st, 2013 features the perfect closing for The Series with a wide range of experience starting with the fearless and award winning Chris Ferris & Dancers, the incredible new contemporary dance company of Michael J. Clark & Artists, and a dazzling display of virtuoso hip-hop and jazz funk put together by Eric Samson’s The Beat Club.

Chris Ferris & Dancers; chrisferrisdance.com
Michael J. Clark & Artists; michaeljclark.weebly.com
The Beat Club; funktiondancecomplex.com

For more information or tickets, please visit:www.danceseries.org

 

The Secret Theatre | 4402 23rd St | Long Island City, NY
E, M, G or 7 train to Court SQ/23rd St.

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Posted in dance, Dance performances, Dancer, professional dance artists, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »