Dancers Among Us Special Memories- Kristina Hanna

The Dancers Among Us book will span 240 pages, and will feature over 150 different dancers from 35 cities and towns. In the back of the book there is a section titled, "About the Photographs," where I tell some of my favorite stories and highlight some of my very favorite Dancers Among Us images. Leading up to the book's release on October 21, I will continue to share some of my most memorable experiences with you! (Check out a special memory I had with Paul Taylor dancer Michael Trusnovec by clicking here.)

The image of Kristina Hanna on a dumpster is featured in the "Exploring" chapter, titled "You Are Here." Before it was shot, I photographed Kristina in a classically beautiful dance pose in Washington Heights-

 

But I felt like I should try to push the envelope further, so we headed down to Hotel Chelsea, looking for a little grunge. Here is the excerpt of the importance of this image to me:

I knew early on that I wanted to get out of the “pretty picture” box that defines many dance photographs, but it wasn’t always easy to do. Hannah is a beautiful woman, so shooting her hanging from a dumpster with a cigarette in her mouth wasn’t exactly my first instinct. Making this photo reminded me that beauty comes in all forms, and it inspired me to continue looking for less glamorous settings and scenarios.

As Dancers Among Us Turns the Page, I Pause to Reminisce

The other day I wrote an email to Workman Publishing editor in chief Suzie Bolotin. I wanted her to reconsider a certain photo that had been cut from the final version of Dancers Among Us. This is the response I received-

"Jordan, Jordan, Jordan- the barn doors, as they say, have closed."

Then it hit me. After three and a half years of shooting, a year of traveling around the country, and months of writing and editing, the creative process for Dancers Among Us is finished. The book is complete. We are awaiting the first galleys from the printer, and no significant changes will be made.

There is still lots of work to do- we are in the throws of collecting flattering blurbs for the cover (it's going amazingly well, by the way, but we could use a few more- anyone know Madonna?), in September I may be traveling to the mid-west to participate in the printing process, and of course there's the actual publishing of the book on October 21! So it's going to be a busy year. But as for creative work on the design and content of the book, the barn doors have closed.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't feeling sentimental. From the minute I met the folks at Workman, I knew I was having a once in a lifetime adventure. I've been introduced to many people at this great publishing house, and each one of them has been generous with their time and wildly excited about the photographs. I've been inspired by their enthusiasm.

Throughout the creative process, I worked tirelessly with Suzie and senior designer/editor Netta Rabin. In addition to being brilliant, they fully embody the central message of the book- love what you do, live a passionate life, and be alive. I don't know what the future holds for Dancers Among Us, but I know one thing for certain- this has been an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Suzie, Jordan and Netta

Dancers Among Us Special Memories- Michael Trusnovec

The Dancers Among Us book will span 240 pages, and will feature over 150 different dancers from 35 cities and towns. That's a lot of memorable experiences. In the back of the book there is a section titled, "About the Photographs," where I tell some of my favorite stories and highlight some of my very favorite Dancers Among Us images. Leading up to the book's release on October 21, I will share some of my most memorable experiences with you!

The book is broken into seven chapters, and this photograph is in the final chapter, "Living". It's one of the very last images in the book, yet it was the first one I shot. It's titled, "All Hail". This is the excerpt from the book-

This image of Michael Trusnovec was taken on my very first day of shooting Dancers Among Us (before I even had a title). I was walking around Manhattan with a few of my original dancers from the Paul Taylor Dance Company, trying to figure out what I was doing (I was so green that I didn’t even know the difference between modern dance and ballet). I had originally wanted the dancers to wear all black street clothes- an idea I quickly abandoned after a few days. Michael and I had been all over the west village without firing a shot until this idea came to me. Michael conceived of the pose within seconds, adding the lovely detail of putting his hand in his pocket- I definitely learned from the best! We took only seven photos while the cabs were stuck at the stoplight. I missed the shot badly six times, but fortunately I released the shutter at the right moment for this image. When I reviewed the photograph, I got chills because I had never seen anything like it.

If you're as excited as I am to get this Dancers Among Us book in you hands, you can pre-order at www.dancersamongus.com.

Role Reversal for Dancers Among Us

Dancers Among Us will be released nationally on October 21, and this image by Samantha Siegel is the final photograph in the book. Samantha is my social media coordinator working with Design Brooklyn as well as a dancer and freelance photographer. She felt strongly that I should be featured dancing in the book, and she offered to take the photo. Given all the crazy things I asked dancers to do over the years, it was only fitting that when it came my turn to jump, the heavens opened up. I’m no dancer, so I channeled my college baseball days and pretended I was turning a double play at second base. I jumped twenty-one times in five minutes through the pouring rain, and that was more than enough to gain a deeper understanding of exactly how difficult the poses in this book are. The dancers make it look so effortless, and yet it is so, so difficult.

October 21 too long for you to wait? Pre-order your Dancers Among Us book today at www.dancersamongus.com!

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?