New York Wedding Photographer Sofia Negron Photography Blog » New York Dance Photographer

New York Dance Photographer: Rioult World Premiere of Celestial Tides

Sofia — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:07:36 +0000

You have 2 more days to go to the Joyce Theater and see Rioult dance company. Rioult is presenting the much anticipated world premiere of Celestial Tides. Celestial Tides is the third and final installment of his Bach series. I was really excited to have the opportunity to photograph this piece. Rioult’s choreography is beautiful. A gorgeous mix of flowing and quick movement. His movement reflects exactly what you hear in the Bach piece and I found myself almost dancing with them when shooting. The movement is continuous, graceful and circular. It ebbs and flows. Since my background was ballet, I think if I was still dancing now, Rioult would be my dream company.

New York Dance Photographer: Doug Varone and Dancers

Sofia — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:24:00 +0000

As a former professional dancer, I get really excited when I get an opportunity to photograph dance. Being in New York now, there are a ton of dance companies and I was really honored to have the opportunity to photograph Doug Varone and Dancers. This is a small company made up of modern dancers handpicked by Doug Varone. Reading an article about how he picks his dancers, he says he likes to find dancers who have lived, are comfortable in their bodies and can bring a maturity to their dancing, who will bring something to his work, who will make his work better. Each one of these dancers has really beautiful movement quality and timing. It was refreshing to watch modern dancers who move through space freely and still keep the integrity of their technique.

This was the New York premiere of “Chapter from a Broken Novel” performed at the Joyce Theater. “Chapter from a Broken Novel” original score was created by David Van Tieghem. You can see Doug’s thoughts and description of the piece here and here. Here are just a few of my favorite images from the performance.

Company Class: warming up for Shut Up and Dance

Sofia — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:19:07 +0000

As you know, I used to be a dancer and it is still very dear to my heart. I LOVE when I get the chance to photograph dancers. A few weeks back, I photographed the annual performance of Shut Up and Dance. Shut Up and Dance is a fundraiser for MANNA, produced and performed by dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet. This performance is a treat because the dancers get to choreograph pieces and you begin to see some of the rising choreographic stars. Of course, the dancers also get to expand their repertoire and dance something they may not usually get to do.

I arrived to the theater early so I could grab a few pics of the dancers in company class on stage. I love capturing these kinds of images because it begins to humanize the dancers and show them as real people. Sometimes when you see all the perfection in performance- you forget they are regular people. It is also great to show the practice, strength and athleticism required for dance. Enough talking- here are a few faves.

Fine Art Photos = Dance

Sofia — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:35:56 +0000

As many of you know, I used to be a dancer. I danced my entire life (since the wee age of 5). I love the way dance makes you feel. Well lately it has been making me feel like an elephant but even just dancing in the living room gives me euphoria. Capturing the perfect moment in my camera is like that too.

People always ask, “do you miss it?” I miss the awesome shape I was in but the challenge of getting that perfect step, that perfect moment expressed is still there for me in photography. Every wedding: I get to find and express that moment, that feeling, that perfection between two people or three or ten.

For me, the perfect assignment would be to capture dancers. Photographing them in rehearsals and performances. I would love to go behind the scenes and document the everyday life of a dancer. The classes, the stretches, the dedication, the determination, the tenacity, the rejection, the ecstatic bliss of knowing you were able to express that moment through your body; your breath. What would be even cooler would be to have married dancers in wedding attire dancing. Hey, if I am dreaming then I can have it all.

This introspection was triggered as I go through my dance photos for a fine art series. These are all images from the last several years that I have taken while photographing Shut Up and Dance. An annual performance put on by dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet that raise funds for MANNA. Yes, these are from the actual performance. Just like weddings, you have one chance to get that moment.