Obviously, I particularly liked the moments of them standing in the “wings”, ready to strut onstage — plumage and all — at any moment.

I couldn’t decide which of these I preferred since they were so thematically similar…

Some of my favorites from “Roem,” at Woodruff Arts center — the company’s final performance of the season.

The dancer was perched atop a ladder. How often do you get a view like that?

This dancer writhed along the trunk of a tree inches from my face, while several other dancers took center stage. Well, center lawn.

Evidence of the dancers’ incorporation with the audience and, um, security…

Nothing is surprising and yet everything is with this company. Trouncing through the garden to OutKast…

It’s also great working with dancers who are versatile and well-rounded in their styles.

As I went through these images with my editor, choosing which ones would be featured on the paper’s site, he remarked on the state of Atlanta dance. He called it a refreshing community that lacked the snobbiness of many cities’ dance scenes. This really rung true for me, as I’ve been repeatedly impressed by both the caliber of dancers and companies and the quantity of them in this town. Atlanta’s dance scene is a mishmash of contemporary and hip hop, each constantly achieving new heights in creativity and audience inclusion. Dance here is for the love of dance and for the love of community, which is such a joy to be a part of.
This past weekend I photographed Brooks and Company Dance as they put on a collaborative performance with aerialists, percussionists, cyclists and graffiti along the Beltline. It was an interesting experience and a great addition to the burgeoning tradition of installation dance in Atlanta. The performance was titled “Ment” referencing the combination of movement, pavement and moment that celebrates the coming of the Beltline and all it means for the communities it will eventually join together. It was fun to be there and even more fun to photograph.
Some of my favorites:

Showers.

Sleeping.

Hulas.

No one can really prepare you for four days of scorching heat, mud, rain and amassed bodies all while camping to the tune of America’s biggest and best names in music. There’s never enough time to do everything you want, hear every band or see every act and there’s so much to see through a lens, it’s almost far TOO much.

I have to admit photographing Bonnaroo 2010 was hard, but I feel ready to do it all again next year. This time with an actual tent, ice and sunscreen. Word to the wise.

That was then, but this is NOW.

In the memory of Dr. MLK Jr. Louis Delsarte led local Atlanta artists in completing a massive mural that now covers one wall of the MLK Natatorium.

Reflecting

Mayor Kasim Reed was a speaker at the dedication of the mural.

A musician waits for his turn to play during the dedication’s proceedings.

It’s been awhile. Mostly because I’ve been shooting like crazy among other photo projects. So, many updates from the past three months to come.

This was from shooting a sequence of events as an assignment and choosing to picture take a sunny afternoon of hair-doing.