Grand jeté
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines a jeté as a ballet leap in which the weight of the dancer is transferred from one foot to the other. The grand jeté is a leap into an airborne “split.” It’s a fitting term for my latest activity as a photographer. Until now, I have trained my vision on ballroom dancing and its myriad forms. I recently decided to add ballet to my repetoire.
The paintings of ballerinas by Edgar Degas made a profound impression on me as an elementary school student when I began studying oil painting. Later, as a young adult, I attended some ballet performances and left utterly spellbound by the technique and the storytelling. Yet somehow I had never photographed a ballerina until recently.
Later this month I will attend the Pas de Deus photography conference in Austin, Texas. The organizers accept and encourage photographers of all types of dance. But it’s obvious that most of the instructors work primarily with ballerinas. Just check out the work on Instagram by Lois Greenfield, Rachel Neville, David Hofmann and Andrew Eccles, to name a few. Even Alexis Cuarezma and Joe McNally, who shoot a wide variety of subjects, have stunning photographs of ballerinas. So I figured I should try my hand at this genre before attending the conference. Then my daughter gave me a copy of The Art of Movement, a coffee table book with more than 300 photographs that took my breath away, and it kicked me into action.
I began by shooting a young ballerina and ballroom dancer I know personally. Her work ethic, technique and personality come through in everything she does. You can see my photographs of her on the ballet page of my recently updated web site. I am now reaching out to ballet schools in the Twin Cities to offer portraits, competition and performance photography. As a ballroom dancer and martial artist myself, I understand that my subjects don’t want to share photos of their “near misses.” A misplaced foot or funky arm position, while not obvious to casual viewers, would embarrass them. This seems especially true of ballet dancers. So I get approval of any ballet photos before I share them publicly.
Please contact me directly if you would like to set up a private, two-hour session. Minors must be accompanied by a legal guardian and someone who is experienced in ballet to help with the posing. I charge a non-refundable booking fee of $550 to reserve a two-hour time slot. That includes rental time at Image Studios in St. Paul, my $375 creative fee, all photographic gear used in the shoot and editing on up to five photos, to be delivered digitally. Additional photos are $150 for one, $275 for two, with a third photo free. Other packages, including prints, buttons, books, mugs, etc., are available as well. Please note, rental fees at other photo studios in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas may result in additional charges, to be agreed upon in advance. Sessions shot on location in parks, monuments, ballet studios and personal residences also are available but may result in costs associated with required permits or fees, plus travel expenses outside of a 20 mile radius from my home.
Isn’t it time to create a keepsake that you will treasure and share forever?
