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Laura Macken Dance

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I had the pleasure of once again being in the studio with Laura Macken Dance and her ensemble of talented Irish and international dance artists – Eoin Padraig MacDonnacha, Kate Haughton, Rebecca Lee, Yuilya Prokhorova, Fanni Esterhazy, Pablo von Sternenfels, Anibal dos Santos and Gabriella Basco.

Both pieces, ‘Connections’ and ‘Lift’ are a real visual treat to capture and so diverse in style.

It is really wonderful to see ballet being supported by The Arts Council Ireland and great that a female Irish choreographer is at the helm.

The week ended with a packed studio performance in St. Catherine’s Sports Centre and the exciting news that both pieces will be performed in Projects Arts Centre in November. Well done everyone!

Begin Again with Brooke Shaden

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There is a lot of (valid) negative talk about social media in the press, however, without social media (namely Instagram) I would not have started following US artist Brooke Shaden and heard about her ‘Promoting Passion‘ tour.

I happened to be in London for the European leg of her ‘Promoting Passion tour and immediately signed up for a place (thanks sonyalpha being such great sponsors and making it so affordable). It was meant to be!

There was a wonderful photography workshop (see below – thanks to our four wonderful models and Ceridwen Images as stylist extraordinaire/wardrobe/prop supplier) but that was not the main focus of the day.

Brooke is an inspirational speaker (and great hugger!) whose positive energy and thought provoking questions and exercises will be cogitated and digested for long after the event. Gillian Gamble was our second speaker and her story, beautiful art and enthusiasm for creativity provided another perspective on Brooke’s questions.

Questions like what is our legacy and why is it so difficult to create lasting legacy. Challenging us to change our narrative and move beyond expectation. Questioning what holds us back and allowing ourselves to begin again.

Like I said, so many thought provoking questions I have just begun to try to answer and begin again.

My photos from the photoshoot :

2019 musings…….

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So what are you searching for this year? Do tell, I’d love to hear.

I’m looking to expand my creative horizons this year – I do love creating fairytales and so much more! Plus, on a more pragmatic level increasing my ps and lighting knowledge should help too!

Dancer/model: @aleksandra.bgc

📸: @dancebyannalouise

#fairytale #fairytaleforest #forest #wicklow #ireland #reddress #searching #lost #newyear #creativephotography

Raymonda – Bayerisches Staatsballet Munich

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Sharing some curtain call memories from a stunning performance of Raymonda in Bayerisches Staatsballet on 10 October 2018. There were so many curtain calls, I lost count! Always a good test of photography skills – so many unknowns (location/timing/lighting……) – good preparation for when I get to take some backstage photos during a performance!

Another simply wonderful evening at watching Raymonda with @sergeipolunin as Jean de Briene. An absolute joy to watch. What a stellar trio @sergeipolunin @osielgouneo @ryzhkovaksenia, a vision in white – bravo @jeanettekakareka and a wonderful corps du ballet.

I can’t wait for my next trip to the Bayerisches Staatsballet!

Dancing in the forest……

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Check out this amazing video for the Dublin Bellydance Project.

I was lucky enough to shoot some stills from the dream sequence in the forest for dancer Aleksandra Bilgic. The video was shot by the super talented Fruit Frame Films – my first time shooting stills during a videoshoot and hopefully not my last!

Such a great afternoon (though I was wrapped up well – not like Aleksandra dancing in her bare feet in the forest). We even used (or rather tried to use) smoke grenades – I definitely need these for my next shoot!

Some behind the scenes shots of the fun here:

And here is a few storyboard shots involving the dream sequence:

Such a joy to be involved in the pre-planning of this shoot too, from sourcing smoke grenades to location scouting. However, the real star is the creative director and dancer Aleksandra, her enthusiasm for the project was infectious, her attention to detail from start to finish second to none and as she danced in the freezing cold forest in her bare feet, her dedication to her art and her vision shone true. Well done Aleks, you should be very proud.

VW Snapshot Competition winner!

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Last month, I was absolutely thrilled to find out that I won the design category of the Volkswagen Ireland Snapshot Competition with one of my favorite dancer shots. I took the shot in August after I had seen this amazing street art. Once I had located the wings (with the help of some friends), I knew I had to get a shot with a ballerina and Aleksandra Bilgic (Dublin Bellydance Project) was the perfect dancer to collaborate with for this shoot. She came armed with a white tutu and loads of energy and we spent several hours on a bank holiday Sunday running (and jumping) around Smithfield much to the amusement of locals and passers-by.

So to win a prize for a shot I really love is just an absolute bonus. Plus, I can’t wait to get my hands on the graphics tablet prize!

Since I posted this photo on Instagram, I had lots of requests about where exactly the street art is located. However, it looks like the building is up for demolition now as it went on fire a week or two after I took the shot. Just shows you that you really have to seize every opportunity when it happens.

 

Dublin Culture Night

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Dublin Culture Night  (21 September 2018) is always a highlight in the events calendar – such a great friendly crowd and so many more places get involved each year. This year I was lucky to have the opportunity to take some shots of 3 varied studio performances in Dance Ireland, what a treat!

Juan Jesus Guiraldi – Dance Ireland International Associate Artist

A mesmerising and hypnotic contemporary dance performance with Juan Jesus Guiraldi. I look forward to see how this piece develops in the future.

Juan Jesus Guiraldi
Juan Jesus Guiraldi
Juan Jesus Guiraldi
Juan Jesus Guiraldi
Juan Jesus Guiraldi

Ballet Ireland with Marguerite Donlon/Donlon Dance Collective

The packed studio audience had a fascinating insight into the rehearsal process with Ballet Ireland and internationally recognized choreographer Marguerite Donlon and Francesco Vecchione (Donlon Dance Collective).  An absolute pleasure to watch a performance of a newly created contemporary piece they had been working on for the last two weeks.

Ballet Ireland
Ballet Ireland
Ballet Ireland
Ballet Ireland

‘In Struggle We Hope’ with Tobi Omoteso & Leo Wolstenholme

The final performance ‘In Struggle We Hope’ was something entirely unexpected (to me anyway!) – a combination of abstract movements and B-Boy/Street Dance intertwined with improvisational and traditional violin music. So much energy – the audience gasped at one stage at a jump/somersault, it was hard for my camera to keep up!

A really unique evening and great to see such diverse audiences for all 3 performances. Well done Dance Ireland and all the performers – until next year!

Tobi Omoteso & Leo Wolstenholme
Tobi Omoteso & Leo Wolstenholme
Tobi Omoteso & Leo Wolstenholme
Tobi Omoteso & Leo Wolstenholme
Tobi Omoteso & Leo Wolstenholme
Tobi Omoteso & Leo Wolstenholme

A magical evening in Lagrasse, France

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A few ‘curtain call’ moments from a truly magical evening of classical and contemporary ballet with the Royal Ballet in Lagrasse on 28 July. With thanks to all the organizers at Muse à Muse for putting together this amazing show in one of the most picturesque villages in the South of France. Such a joy to watch these amazing dancers from the Royal Ballet in a wonderful diverse programme of classical and contemporary pieces. The last time this was held in Lagrasse was in 2010 and I am so happy that I got to be part of the event this year.

Marcelino Sambe and Francesca Hayward
Nehemiah Kish, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Calvin Richardson
Tierney Heap
Lauren Cuthbertson and Matthew Ball
Beatriz Stix-Brunell and Reece Clarke
Matthew Ball, Yasmine Naghdi, Alexander Campbell
Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke
Matthew Ball and Yasmine Naghdi
Yuhui Choe and Nehemiah Kish

A big thanks to all the organisers and musicians too.

It’s been a busy summer…….

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Canon

It’s been a very busy summer out and about with my camera. Floral photography dominated the early summer (big backlog to process during the winter months). However, recently I seem to have been out and about focusing on event and dance photography (which I also love!). I’ve also been posting on Instagram more regularly and love it (I’m not really using flickr or google+ anymore). I’m loving instagram and the interactions there – particularly this one from Canon UK. I got an invite to the recent #CanonDubinMeet which to my surprise involved photographing dancers outside (in the cold and wet!!!) – ideal! Canon UK even chose one of my photos as the overall winner from the evening. You gotta love instagram for all the new opportunities it brings – well I do anyway!!