Dancers Among Us Gets a Second Chance With an Alvin Ailey Star

Two weeks ago I was invited to BookExpo America at the Javits Center in New York City by my publishers, Workman Publishing. They were getting ready to announce my upcoming book, Dancers Among Us, to the book world, and they wanted me to shoot some behind-the-scenes dance photos to submit to publications covering the event.

I shot on two consecutive days- the set-up at the Workman booth, and then the first day of the Expo. The images were very well received throughout the industry, and I have to thank the amazing dancers who volunteered their time- Dylis Croman Minter from "Chicago" on Broadway, Luke McCollum from Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, and three dancers from the spectacular Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater- Sean Carmon, Sarah Daley and Aisha Mitchell. To see the collection of photographs, check out my Facebook page here.

All of the shots were all very successful, but this image of Aisha waiting in line and reading Dancers Among Us went viral-

 

Like everyone else, I loved the image, but I couldn't include it in the book (she is actually reading the book, after all). I was crazy about the pose, just not the setting, so I asked Aisha to come back. Even worse, I asked her to leave New York City and travel an hour to the Palisades Mall in West Nyack, NY. To my great surprise, she agreed.

We met on Father's Day, so my son Hudson accompanied me on the shoot. Aisha had to stop by Forever 21 to buy the bright clothing I requested. As I waited for her, with no specific plan in mind, I saw this-

Suddenly I had a plan- Aisha would be buying shoes! Surprisingly, she did over fifty jumps without being asked to stop. I think the employees were enjoying the show. It wasn't until the final jump that two women walked into the frame and made the shot!

This is one of my favorite images in the book. I'm so glad I got another chance to work with her!

 

Next we headed over to Barnes and Noble. The celebrated and brilliant novelist, Paulo Coelho, recently posted one of my images on his Facebook page. I wanted to return the favor by featuring his most popular novel, The Alchemist, in a photo. Aisha came up with an amazing pose that celebrates the joy of reading. I chose to shoot right in the middle of the store, so I assumed we would be asked to stop very quickly.

Once again, nobody interrupted us, though we shot for over an hour- maybe the big companies are getting a little more lenient about art in their midst.

Hudson, who had been very patient, was finally ready to leave. But first he was inspired to try a jump of his own.

After I took five quick photos of Hudson, I heard a man's voice behind me. "Excuse me sir, we don't allow photography in the store."

Aisha's shoe image will be one of the last added to Dancers Among Us. The final layout is nearing completion, and the book can now be pre-ordered on my website by clicking the link below. It will be available everywhere books are sold this November. 

www.dancersamongus.com

Dancers Among Us Book Available for Pre-Sale

Dozens of cities. Hundreds of dancers. Thousands of shots. Three years in the making… I am thrilled to announce a milestone in my photographic career:

Dancers Among Us - A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday is now available for pre-sale!

A Sneak Preview of Dancers Among Us

The wonderful Workman Publishing has agreed to reveal a few sample spreads from the book. They've been working like crazy, and the layout is stunning! I am very excited to share this sneak peek with you. Here are a couple of spread - click to view them larger.

 

 

I cannot thank you all enough for your support and encouragement throughout this exciting journey. This project has truly been a life-changing experience, and I can only hope that these photographs inspire you to relish moments large and small, recognize the beauty around you, and be alive! I hope this book brings you great joy.

Jordan

After Thirty Cities and Hundreds of Dancers Among Us, My Journey Ends in a Boston Hospital

“You really don’t need to take any more pictures, Jordan. We’ve got more than enough for the book, and there’s only two weeks left to finish our final edit.”

I was discussing my upcoming trip to capture Dancers Among Us in Boston with Workman Publishing Senior Designer, Editor Netta Rabin. She was performing an intervention, trying to save me from myself.

No such luck.

“But my friend, Kevin Ban, is a doctor at Harvard. He can get me into the Emergency Room. I can’t say no to that.”

(Honestly, I think I’m addicted to this process. I’m feeling signs of withdrawal already)

I arrived in Boston Sunday afternoon and I was whisked directly to Beth Israel Medical Center. Welcoming me with open arms were volunteers, nurses, residents and security personnel. It was unbelievable.

I was very fortunate- it was a slow night in the ER. I asked the staff for a triage room, a shirtless volunteer to lie on a stretcher, a bunch of residents in scrubs, a heart monitor and a defibrillator. You can imagine how much fun I had shooting ABT dancer Duncan Lye in this mayhem (which is all I can offer you- Workman asked me to hold the photo until the book is published in the fall).

Waiting in the wings was Kelsey Hellebuyck, a beautiful ballerina with Boston Ballet. I turned to the head nurse.

“Can you get me an ambulance?”

We all rushed outside. The sun was setting and the EMT was about to leave for Fenway Park. We had fifteen minutes. I asked Kelsey to wear her white dress and pointe shoes. I wanted a somber mood, as if a wonderful evening had been interrupted by a terrifying event. I asked her to try different poses as the sun set behind her.

For months I have been imagining a shot of an ambulance sitting on an empty road, parked under a streetlamp.

Guess what it looked like across the street.

During the shoot we needed a little help with light. Imagine who drove up and offered to turn on his high beams. We all felt very safe.

Though my travels across the country have come to an end (for now), I still have two weeks to try my luck capturing Dancers Among Us in New York City.

Right, Netta?

My Dancers Among Us Wishlist

As I excitedly count down the days until the release of the Dancers Among Us book by Workman Publishing this fall, I realize each day that passes means less and less time for me to capture the amazing dancers that grace the U.S.

So folks, it’s crunch time. There are still so many phenomenal dancers that I would love to photograph. To keep my eye on the target, I've collected a few names for this Dancers Among Us Wishlist, because there is nothing wrong with dreaming big:

- Aszure Barton
- Bill T. Jones
- Camille A. Brown
- Benoit Swan-Pouffer and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
- Desmond Richardson/Dwight Rhoden and Complexions Contemporary Ballet
- the Cast of Glee
- Gallim Dance
- Gus Solomons Jr.
- Keigwin + Company
- Misty Copeland and American Ballet Theatre
- Neil Haskell and the cast of Bring it On: The Musical
- Pilobolus
- Robert Battle of Alvin Ailey
- The Rockettes
- Savion Glover
- So You Think You Can Dance stars Nick Lazzarini and Travis Wall
- the stars of the Step Up movies
- Stephen Petronio

There are far too many celebrities who could bust-a-move for Dancers Among Us:
- Beyonce
- Channing Tatum
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Madonna
- Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied
- Taye Diggs

And of course, the God of Dance: Mikhail Baryshnikov!

I would be so incredibly honored to photograph you all as Dancers Among Us. If you recognize your name on my “wish-list”, or have any connections to make this happen, e-mail me at jordanmatter@gmail.com. If you are able to help, I'd love for you to accompany me on a shoot!

Until then, I'll be crossing my fingers, rubbing rabbits feet, wishing upon many 11:11's, and praying to the photography gods for my wishes to come true...


www.dancersamongus.com

Pizza and Pot on Venice Beach- Dancers Among Us Discovers Los Angeles Culture

Kayla Radomski's reputation preceded her- she was a very popular finalist on season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance. I was relentless in my pursuit of her before I visited Los Angeles last week. I desperately wanted to photograph her for Dancers Among Us, but I had no idea what to do with her.

She arrived at Venice Beach in the middle of a very busy and extremely productive day. We had about 45 minutes to conceive and create a shot worthy of her talent. I wanted to shoot her on the Venice Boardwalk, so I looked around until I found the best spot.



Great location for a photo! I liked the crowds of people, the Venice graffiti and palm trees in the background. Of course, I loved the marijuana sign. Then I asked Kayla how she was feeling physically. Her answer didn't need any words.



So far, so good. But what's the story? What is she doing there? I had no idea. Rollerblading, sunbathing, eating, blah, blah- everything seemed so obvious. Then I looked a little closer and discovered the answer.



She's holding a promo sign. She's working! My friend and collaborator Ivy Vahanian talked a pizza place into lending us their sign for five minutes- at most! Oh boy.

Fortunately, I had several more dancers waiting for me, so I recruited Laura Karlin and Mary Tarpley to hold Kayla in a split. I liked the idea of a team effort. This was no easy task for any of them, but it was worth a try! I asked Kayla to turn towards the sun and channel Vanna White.



Pretty cool shot, but it could be better. First of all, I realized that it needed to be a horizontal shot. I gave up my attempt to include the Venice graffiti- it was more important to show the activity around them. Secondly, I wanted Kayla's right arm to be waving to everyone, which was almost impossible- she needed it for stability.

Somehow, she managed. Ouch!



Very cool shot. I almost loved it. There was still an element missing, but I had no idea what that was. I only knew that I had just a few minutes to discover it, so we tried again. And something magical happened- about three seconds too early.



A skateboarder cruised underneath Kayla's legs before she was ready. Damn! That was it! That was the unexpected element I needed to complete the photo. Where could I possibly find another skateboarder in the next two minutes?

Oh right, this is Venice Beach- it's like calling Central Casting. Within thirty seconds we found the perfect volunteer. He hit his mark just as a bicyclist turned to look at Kayla, and right before her hamstrings screamed out in protest.

Thank you, Serendipity.

Dancers Among Us Shoots Guns in Texas

"You got a gun in that bag?"

I was at the Houston Gun and Knife Show with Connor Walsh, principal dancer from Houston Ballet. I was desperate for a Dancers Among Us photo, but the huge sign above our heads might be a little problematic.

NO GUNS! NO CAMERAS!

(I didn't know you couldn't bring a gun into a gun show)

"No sir, I don't have a gun."

He stared down at me. I'm 6'3", so that's not easy to do.

"You got a camera?"

I briefly considered lying, but he was standing like eight inches away from me, staring me right in the eyes and not blinking.

"Yes, I have a camera."

"Is it a small one?"

"No actually, it's pretty big."

Were we still talking about my camera? He stared for a few more seconds.

"Just don't use it in here."

Connor was looking a little apprehensive. I already had three confrontations with law enforcement that day, so I was feeling very nervous as well. We went outside to discuss our plan. Of course, I had to give it a shot. "Let's just do it. What's the worst that can happen? I don't think the guns are loaded."

Just then I saw a cowboy crossing the street with a rifle in his hand. "Excuse me, can I borrow your gun for a photograph?"

He looked dumbstruck. I tried to explain about my book, that I'm traveling the country photographing dancers in everyday situations, blah, blah. We weren't connecting.

"No, you'll run off with it," he said as he walked away.

"No I won't," I shouted after him. "I'll give you my wallet as collateral."

It worked! He handed me the rifle, which was surprisingly heavy. With gun in hand, Connor looked every bit the cowboy. Except one thing could be better.

"Can I borrow your hat too?" I asked.

"No way. It's a $1000 hat."

"Really??", I thought. "Okay, he'll use his own hat, but I need you in the photo."

He agreed. I asked Connor to do a split jump and framed up the photo to include a silly sign. In my mind I titled the shot, "Right to Bear Arms"



Once inside the gun show, I realized how challenging this would be. Security was everywhere. My heart was pounding. As Connor was changing into lighter pants, I found a perfect location. Unfortunately, I couldn't do any test shots. We just had to wing it.

I asked Connor to hinge- bend back while elevating on his toes- aim the rifle in the air like he was shooting a bird, and smile. I waited until the coast was clear, grabbed my camera from the bag and whispered, "Go!"

Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click. Eight photos, ten seconds.



We reviewed the photos in the bathroom. They were good, but we both knew he could bend farther back. The show was just ten minutes from closing, and people we starting to clear out. Less protection. We tried again.



His hinge was great, but there was nobody in the shot with him. The place looked empty. It needed something intangible. Come on, Photography Gods, you're always with me on this. Where's my unexpected moment that completes the story?

A security guard was walking towards us, though he didn't see us yet. We were going to have to stop and settle for what we got. Damn.

Then I saw it. A family with a baby in a stroller, headed our way.

"Wait!! Do the pose again! Hurry! Something might happen in the background."

Connor hit his pose. I whispered directions ("Shoulders down.. chin up.. smile!!") and watched the story unfold behind him.





Visit www.dancersamongus.com to see which final image I chose for the Dancers Among Us book. You can also see many other Dancers Among Us photos, very cool behind-the-scenes videos, effusive press clippings, and lots of naked people (I threw that last one in for effect).

Dancers Among Us to be Released in Bookstores Ahead of Schedule

In a recent blog, "I've Been Keeping Secrets... Lots of Them", I revealed that I've held back many Dancers Among Us images for the book's publication. Well, it appears that these secret new images have excited the folks at Workman Publishing so much that they've moved up the publication date. Originally scheduled to be released in the spring of 2013, Dancers Among Us will now hit bookstores in the fall of 2012, just in time for the holidays! Given that it is such a coveted slot, it's highly unusual for a title to be added to the fall list at this late date. I'm honored! And very excited! And just a bit overwhelmed...

My deadline has been pushed up four months! So it's seriously crunch time. I have to finish shooting all the photographs, and write lots of text, in just eight weeks!! So this is my final call to all dancers who want to participate-

Dancers- if you want to be featured in this year's best-selling, record-shattering, award-winning holiday book, contact me NOW at jordanmatter@gmail.com! If you live in or near Los Angeles and you want to participate, I will be there next week. Otherwise, I will primarily be in New York City. I don't know how many other cities I will have the opportunity to visit.

I'm very excited to offer Dancers Among Us in print for the holidays this year. Please keep an eye out on my website, www.dancersamongus.com, for regular updates.

Thank you for all your encouragement and support. I'll see you soon at a book signing near you!