The USA International Ballet Competition, or USA IBC, is one of the most prestigious competitions for top ballet dancers worldwide. It was founded in 1978, by famed Russian-American ballet dancer and educator, Thalia Mara. The first USA IBC took place the following year in Jackson, Mississippi, featuring 70 dancers from 15 countries. Nowadays, the two-week Olympics-style competition rotates each year between Varna, Moscow, Tokyo, and Jackson. After several years of postponement due to the pandemic, the competition returned this year in full form. From June 10-24, Jackson’s 12th USA IBC featured 119 dancers from 17 nations. USA IBC reached out to Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based commercial portrait and dance photographer Michael J. Moore for help promoting the 2023 event.
The marketing team from the USA IBC really liked my body of work, which they found on Instagram. They specifically mentioned my lighting style, which fit their vision for the project.
The photographer, the client, and an advertising agency handled the preproduction through email and phone calls.
In the past, USA IBC has used old performance photos to promote the next event. This year, they wanted to promote the event using previous medalist winners from the competition in different locations throughout the city of Jackson. There were ten locations planned for a two-day photoshoot, with six professional ballet dancers from across the US.
Unfortunately, the project did not include a budget for a location scout or preproduction day on site. The client used an advertising agency in Jackson to storyboard all of the different locations to give to me and the separate video crew. The agency did a good job in documenting the different locations. Even so, my assistant and I decided to scout each location on our own time the evening before the shoot, just to make sure we were familiar with the locations and could make any changes necessary to accomplish what was asked of us. As it turned out, we did end up making a recommendation to flip the last two locations of the day to better capture the look the agency requested.
The photoshoot took place on June 12, 2021, with temperature in the mid-90s F, with southern high humidity. Michael and the six dancers were joined on set by his assistant, various members of the IBC executive team, and representatives from the marketing agency. An instructor was also present to observe the dancers’ techniques, providing corrections as needed.
Many of the dancer’s poses can be very physically demanding, and one incorrect hand or foot placement can ruin a fantastic image, making it unusable.
The team managed the early summer heat by rotating the subjects at each location. When they weren’t on set, the dancers retreated to an air-conditioned RV or a hotel.
Lighting conditions that day were challenging. The marketing team set the schedule and they were not really looking at where the sun would be for the shots, so ultimately all but two of the locations had to be lit. I was very thankful for my amazing assistant and my battery-powered Profoto strobes! We used the back of my SUV to carry all the equipment, including lighting, cameras, and a digital cart.
Michael shared that the largest challenge of the shoot had to do with the time constraints and the number of locations. The marketing team at USA IBC wanted as many looks and locations as possible, to have plenty of assets to choose from when promoting the competition. The initial plan was to shoot the ten locations over two days. However, due to budget constraints, USA IBC required Michael and his team to attempt to squeeze the entire shooting process into one day.
I had pre-visualized each shot in each location with the help of the marketing team’s storyboards, but I also needed to have the flexibility to pivot to anything that spoke to me more — including asking two of the dancers to walk up the street in Pointe shoes to get a shot that wasn’t on the schedule.
It was a long day of shooting, beginning at 7:00 am and ending around 8:30 pm. The USA IBC marketing team ultimately decided to use 9 out of the 10 locations.
But, thankfully, Michael and the dancers perform well on their toes!
Following another successful dance shoot, Michael offered us a glimpse into his initial fascination with the performing arts specialty.
Working with professional dancers has been an amazing experience for me. It all began when I watched my three daughters dance when they were younger. I started taking photos of local dancers on stage and in the studio. Over the past 15 years, this has grown into a passion of mine, giving me the unique opportunity to travel across the country and photograph dancers, choreographers, and other types of artists.
Although I’m not a dancer myself, I have learned how to speak their language by watching for hand and foot placement, and requesting specific motions, leaps, and poses. This is an ongoing challenge, but with every artist on every photo shoot, I learn something new.
See more of Michael’s work on his website.
Credits
USA IBC Executive Director: Mona Nicholas
USA IBC Graphic Design: Kenny Weaver
USA IBC Artistic Administrator: Sara Berry-Lee
Kirkpatrick and Porch Creative Project Manager: Marlo Kirkpatrick
Photo Assistant: Will Dobbs
Dancers: Derek Dunn, Chisako Oga, Princess Reid, Misa Kuranaga, Julia Rust, Brooklyn Mack
Further Reading
Read more articles about Michael J. Moore.
Read more articles about Music/Performing Arts photography.
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