Interview with Dance Iquail’s Director, Iquail Shaheed

I recently had the pleasure to work once again with Dance Iquail before the new year.  We were working on some new ideas for re-vamping the Dance Iquail website.  I thought a little Q&A with company director and choreographer Iquail Shaheed might be interesting, as he chose to do something very different with his images, in particular with the dancers’ headshots.

Iquail, can you give us a little 101 on your company, what you are about and your “mission,” so to speak?

Working in the universal language of movement, Dance Iquail is committed to creating and presenting works that confront the destructive and divisive nature of racism, sexism, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, the needs of the poor, and the importance of family support and unity. These debilitating problems affect all people because they transcend limitations of ethnicity, gender, or social status.  As a result it is ultimate our priority to reflect those beliefs through the works we produce, the programs we present, and through the diversity of our people, on and off-stage.

Since Dance Iquail’s inception, I’ve been dedicated to developing a brand that exceeds stereotypical labels, such as a “Black Dance Company,” originating from a cultural bias inflicted upon or reflected by a company. My commitment to deflect such distortions is evident in the company’s roster of artists, works, programs, staff, volunteers, and board members, who collectively represent a multitude of peoples and communities.

What is your inspiration for much of your work?

The inspiration for my work comes from deep, dark stories. I’m interested in telling the stories that connect to people on the most personal levels. I tend to gravitate to those works and artist who share that in common with me. I believe it is through our selfless sharing of those autobiographical situations that will heal our intergenerational problems, our problems of socio-cultural, political, and or spiritual indifference.

How do you choose the dancers and collaborators you work with?  What are you looking for in an artist?

In most cases, I look for emerging dance artists who are invited to audition, or are selected based on their close relationships with the company, the dancers, and or my artistic staff.

I appreciate dancers who take risks, who are thinkers and experimenters. When I’m teaching, I like to see what a dancer is thinking. What kind of choice he/she has decided and what type of risk he/she is willing to take. That REALLY turns me on (LOL!). In the process, I can often see something in a dancer that he or she has that maybe is untapped. This too gets my creative juices flowing. It is the challenge of drawing it out of them without them being resistant. It is almost like knowing when the grapes are ready to be plucked. Too soon and it’s forever bitter.

Iquail, many dance companies these days are all about budget in their marketing and imaging needs.  What made you decide to spend the time and resources on coming up with a very different look for your dancers in their headshots?

Well, like those many companies you’ve mentioned, I too am seeking to differentiate Dance Iquail’s brand in ways that will be distinctive and easily relatable to our work. My vision for our Headshots and new website stems from my desire to have a company of completely different personality that is as unique as my dancers. By doing so, I’m able to present them as superhuman or almost godlike because that is the way I hope my audience would view these artists.

Furthermore, it sets the stage for me to present my company to those who are of less fortunate situation as living examples of people who are triumphing over adversity – this of course ties right back into our mission.

What was the most important aspect for you in the preparation of our shoot?

Really making sure I know the personality of my dancers well enough to truly capture their spirit when they are in front of the camera. Also making sure I have the right team of hair, makeup, costume people who can take my vision to levels that I didn’t even think were possible!

What have been your most interesting successes and failures up until this point in your career?

HUUMMMMM let’s see! LOL

Dance Iquail has been fortunate to have a host of individuals who TRULY believe in the vision and direction of the company. They have donated their time, talent, money, skills, and did I mention money (LOL), to ensure we have a sustained vitality. This has lead to many blessings including receiving FREE legal services, our 501(c)3, new websites, press interviews, international booking, choreographic recognitions, and so much more.

Not to be big headed, but this was all in the first year! Now as we’re approaching our 5th anniversary in 2013, we’ve started receiving grants and corporate support for the first time in our history. That feeling is awesome. This growth kind feels like those of a parent when he talks about the accomplishments of his child.

In terms of failures: I don’t see failures as Failures.  Let me explain. Yes there have been many upsetting, frustrating, disappointing, disparaging, and discouraging moments, within my innumerable amount of sleepless nights. But at the end of it all, I needed to go through, and continue, to go through those experiences in order to appreciate the successes I was to receive.

My grandmother’s generation called it “Paying your Dues,” but whatever you call it, I’ts true! Everything in life has a cost, but there is one saying I believe whole heartedly: ANYthing worth having is worth fighting for.  And that’s just what I will continue to do, Fight.

When can we look forward to seeing your work performed in 2012?

Glad you asked. Our Home Season concerts will be March 16 & 17 at New York City’s Harlem School for the Arts, and May 18 &19 In Philadelphia’s Painted Bride Arts Center.  Tickets start at just $15.  You can’t beat that in this days and recession. All this information you can find on our new website: WWW.DANCEIQUAIL.org.

Confusing Gravity in 2012

With all the media hype at this early stage in the year over rebirth/resolutions/new year new beginnings, I start to get tired of all the canned or recycled good intentions that are everywhere.

Not that I don’t participate myself: I’ve sent out my share of those best wishes too. But as we turned the corner into 2012 and Dave and I started planning for the year (well let’s face it we were really only were planning Oriane’s daycare/babysittering) I thought to keep my plans simple. Other than shoots, I’d set specific work hours and work-out hours, worry less & play more.

So I started the year off right with a really fun and challenging shoot, working on what I’m tentatively calling the confused Gravity project (thanks Milan for that title!).  I grew up in a house where my father had a home office and for as long as I can remember he had a drawing by the artist Esher on his walls.  I remember spending a lot of time looking into the picture, never getting bored with it and always seeming to discover a new, hidden corner in the piece.

Fast forward many years later, and my personal work seems to lead toward anything with depth in the images, like the 3D Project I’ve been working on or many of the images produced by one of my fav shooters r.j. I had the idea last year to put these two things together and start a body of work that I could perhaps interest a contemporary company in and maybe do a calendar or gallery exhibit with.

Making the Background

Combine this with the happy hapensatance that my regular assistant and video guy Sasha has a background in architecture and thus is able to build the backgrounds for me… And here we go!  Sasha and I decided that we’d need to have a background designed before we could shoot. We’d need it to look at things like where the light should come from for each shot, what angle to shoot from, what types of movements to suggest from the dancers, etc etc.  What we didn’t realize at this stage was just how important having that background was to the shooting process!

Finding Dancers, Assembling the Team

Next was to ask some dancers to collaborate with, come up with a rough theme, wardrobe, and get our makeup person on board.

I chose Milan Misko to work with.  I’d worked with him previously and we had a good rapport. It was important to me to have great people to colaborate with on this project: having other artists to work with whom you respect, trust, and know you can count on for great feedback and ideas is key when there are so many aspects of each shot that need to be tended to.  As luck would have it his wife, dancer Nana was also available.  I really had a great team!

Getting the Shots

The first shots for this piece were fairly straightforward; we selected an area to work with, found some movements that looked good and appropriate for the space in the picture, then worked with the lighting and shot angle to have it all fit. The hard part came after we started looking at the shots dropped into the background; each shot needed to work in its area but also work if you turned the picture on its side or upside down!

Then, once we started having more and more shots in play, the individual pics needed to also have a cohesive feel and in some cases work together. There were three shots specifically where we rotated and re-rotated the background again. And again to get our ideas and lighting to work!  Then there were the ever wonderful pauses to check on the status of my Mac as I dropped it from the top of the 10ft ladder I was shooting from… ah Macs… they keep going and going and going!!!

The next step in the process is to tweak  and alter the background to the specs decided upon as we shot, and select and cut the dancers out of their backgrounds. Once this is done I place the images into the background one at a time, looking for any alterations that need to be made before the final placing (for example tge fan might not have picked up and floated a piece of fabric on their clothing in just the right way so this is the stage that I would make alterations to accommodate that). Once the final resting place of each image is ‘set in stone’, i begin to work with the shadows on the ground/steps/walls as they should be, and generally melding the shots into the background as they need to be.

Finishing the Project

At the time of writing this I’m about 1/4 way through the post production process here, so I can only show you partial images and concepts.  I hope to have an update in the next two weeks with a finished image.  Stay in touch as this project unfolds… it’s a big one!

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you a great holiday season and a joyful end to 2011.

Thanks to all of you who helped make this a great year.

To ring in 2012 I’m taking a look back at some of my favorite blog posts from the past year. 

Tips for Great Audition Photos
Brain Patterns & Image Making: The 20%
The Next Dimension: Shooting 3D Dance Photography

Are these your favorites, too?  Share what you liked most!

Shooting Joy for Gracious Home & New York Magazine

Every year when November/December rolls around, so many of my friends, clients and companies I work with disappear into the Nutcracker.  It seems we all wave goodbye for two months, occasionally keeping tabs on each other on Social Media outlets, and after a good rest the first week of January, re-surface having survived the season.  And in the mean time, none of us can walk into a department store without trying to close our ears to the ever present musical versions of ‘Flowers’ or ‘Sugar Plum’ that never cease to cause us to gag.

For me, the season holds another type of speedy commercialism: in addition to shooting dancers and fitness and movement pros, I also shoot table top/commercial work.  This year, thanks in part to the art directorship of the one and only Carlos Alphonzo, Gracious Home (whom I’ve been shooting for for the last 4 years) ran a particularly delicious spread in New York Magazine this week. 

I’m proud of this one, not just because it’s a grand departure from what their ads of the past have been, nor because it’s a full two page spread and a BTC (before the table of contents), but because I really felt like we did a fantastic job on this shoot! 

Bending and moulding available light around objects of all sorts of different reflective properties was a fun change, as was using a faux wooden background with just enough finish on it to cause some glare if we weren’t extremely careful.  Add the snow for a decorative touch that was far outside our exposure zone and we had some really fun challenges to live up to!

The large overhead shots were perhaps all of our favorites.  The set up included my camera dangling (securely, not to worry) at a 180 degree angle about 14 feet off the floor from a jerryrigged auto pole and magic arm configuration. Our exposures came in at about 2 – 4 seconds each; in order to be able to stop down as much as we needed to meant that no one could walk, move or even breathe when we did our exposures.  Once we had the second shot finished, and we all breathed a sigh of relief, Carlos and both assistants laid down in the middle of the set for a few stress relieving fun shots.

The images from this shoot will also be running in a TV spot, also designed by Carlos, for Gracious Home: watch for it over the holidays on the Food Network (Iron Chef, I believe) and HGTV (Property Brothers).

Could Arts & Humanities Heal the World?

It’s funny; the more inspired by a topic you are, the more you seem to see information or comments about it everywhere you look.  This has been true for me and a recent blog post on how brain patterns affect what we see. 

I’ve had some great conversations about this, through blog comments, facebook chats, emails, and even a random subway encounter with a fiction writer I bumped into.  I have purposely kept a completely open mind, hoping that through many other peoples’ experiences a variety of thoughts might crop up.  Indeed they have! 

One dancer warned “danger zone, dance psychology is difficult in that all dancers are f..’d up,” another wondered how they could use this information to benefit themselves in moving forward (I sent her the details on the course I took).  I think the most positive conversations I had lead me to where some of my own conclusions were going… how can we use this information to ‘”train” or predispose the youth of today to being arts friendly audiences of tomorrow, and in the process give them access to a variety of ways to fully express themselves, letting others do the same?

My conversation with the fiction writer ended too quickly as the train approached my stop, but our thoughts had landed on a more global influence.  Hypothesising that people that play together don’t shoot at each other,  that while we are all born with the natural instinct for survival, we didn’t think children began their journey declaring that they wanted to become suicide bombers or terrorists (or perhaps taken on a more local level, school bullies or a corporate CEOs influenced only by profits).  We furthered that the world seemed to be in such a state (or perhaps it has always been in this state, this might just be our lifetime slice of it), in whichleaders in all areas are seeminf to flounder, that perhaps what we need to look to do is to really change the conversation.  What if we could shift a world wide conversation towards the arts and humanities?

This began a whole new set of questions to add to my previous questions, all boiling down to a similar theme: where do we start?  I have no answers, but I am interested in the conversation and the observation of what will come as I continue to talk about this.

Is it radical act to consider the arts and humanities as a solution?  Is it, as Kimerer LaMonthe proposed recently in Psychology Today, a radical act to dance?

Photos in this blog are of the Renegade Performance Group.

Tips for Great Dance Audition Photos

As audition season approaches in the coming months, and I get more and more calls for head and body shots from dancers, a common question keeps popping up: what do I wear to look my absolute best? (a paraphrasing of the real question from most female dancers: what leotard/ costume will make me look as thin as possible?)

A little known fact about me is that my mother started a dancewear store while I was a dance student; thus I am supper lucky to have much experience and a unique perspective on what is actually flattering on many different body types. As I was thinking about blogging on this subject to help this year’s dancers, I thought I’d share a few more tips on having a successful audition photoshoot as well.

1.  Start by understanding this key point: though it may be unfortunate, the truth is the first and last impression you leave with a director may be the most important.

Marketing research tells us you have about 3 seconds to catch a their attention before they move onto the next candidate. If you take yourself seriously, so will they.  This starts with the first thing they see… often, that’s your photograph. It is just so important to do everything you can to have the best pictures possible.

2. Try to not book your session on a day when you have many other things to do. You need to be focused and present for the time you are working with your photog, not thinking about a rehearsal that you have to make by 5:30. Additionally, most dancers will not be aware of just how physically difficult getting good shots is.

A 3 hr session with a good photographer will feel like you spent all day in rehearsal after a tough morning class and a session at the gym.

3. Spend some time researching the photographer you use.

Ask these Important Questions:

a) Is your photog an ex dancer? Will he/she be able to guide you through what you need to be aware of techniqually to get great shots? What looks great in 3D in the studio mirror or on stage doesn’t always translate into a 2D image on paper.

And it always helps when your image maker understands lines, turnout, head angles, what makes a good arabesque etc., etc. No hamburger hands please!!

If you do not have access to an ex-dancer photog, make sure to bring a friend or teacher that you trust to give you a second pair of eyes (although I would limit the number of people you bring, as too many cooks don’t make for a good shoot either)

b) What style do you need? Discuss with your photographer what companies you would like to audition for and and how best you can shoot for that, in a style that might match where you would like to be seen. Is the photographer familiar with what you are looking for and be able to create something appropriate for you?

c) What is the time/what are packages/what is the budget?  This of course is straightforward. What do you need, want, hope for? Know this as you shop around. Better to spend more money on less time with a great shooter who you know will take care of all your needs than to spend all day and less money with one that you are not sure of.

d) Am I comfortable and at ease with my photographer?  Feeling comfortable and at ease with a photographer is so important. You need to be able to let go, be yourself and perform while working for that perfect shot. We can retouch legs, arms etc. but we can’t add smiles or expressions to your face!

4. What to bring/What to wear?  This is so, so important. What you wear depends on the types of companies you are interested in.

Start with the basics for classical companies: leotards/tights and costumes like a tutu or R&J style empire dress for the ladies; tights and T’s and costumes like colored tights or corsaire pants for men.

For more contemporary shots, bare legs/chests are great, as are shorts and alternate tops. This is definitly an area to discuss with your photographer as well as your teacher/mentor. Makeup should be natural plus a little bit more.. For example, avoid heavy lines under the eyes, but extra mascara is a good idea.

Guidelines for Choosing a Leotard:

The neckline on the leo should always flatter, evening out your hips to shoulder line.  Where the straps sit on your shoulders should be directly over the line of your hips for the most evening out effect.

Bodysuits with cutout areas, while fun, may sometimes provide more skin area in a shot than you want or is flattering… so ladies, while those Yumiko leo’s are awesome, make sure to bring some others along as well for alternates.

Wider shouldered dancers: long sleeves, v shaped necklines, and wide sitting spagetti straps are the place to start.

Narrow shoulders can often also work with halter shapes and boat or U shaped necklines with wider straps. Capped sleeves are also good to try.

Very high cut or very low cut legs are often distracting from the true lines of your leg.  Avoid.

Velvet material in general sucks in light – not slimming in a photograph unless it is in very small amounts or on a teeny tiny person.

Colors are very important. Not only can colors flatter your skin and eyes; they speak to your personality.  Spend some time thinking about what colors really represent your style

5. Try not to be too hard on yourself. It often takes 10-20 tries to get the perfect angle with the right head and arm line, then add your facial expression.  Good shots take work and very few dancers (with the exception of highly seasoned professionals), get it on the first few go arounds.

It often takes a little bit to find just the right angle and poses to show your body off to its full advantage. Have patience, it will happen!

Miu Yamauchi, studied at the Stuttgart in Germany, now training and auditioning in NYC

Get Great Audition Shots

For many more tips or to book a consult, contact me:

Phone: 718.536.0369
Email: info@rachelneville.com
Facebook: Rachel Neville

Quote this blog entry and receive 10% off your next Audition Photo Shoot (can not be combined with another offer)

Brain Patterns & Image Making: The 20%

I have a great share for you all this week!  Did you know that what you see is only about 20% made up of the information coming in through your eyes?!  The same goes for what you hear.

I had a great experience at Direct Access, a Landmark Education Two Day Seminar, this past weekend.  Much of it had to do with neuroscience and how the brain processes information.  I hadn’t anticipated having this directly correlate to the image-making field but when Barry, our seminar leader, mentioned these research findings, I had to text my photog husband right away. 

20%? That’s it? 

It turns out, our brains soak up and store all the information they receive in daily life from our experiences; emotions and attitudes, images, sounds, what people say around us and what we see on TV, etc., even if we aren’t paying attention to it.  Our brains take this information and create for us what it predicts we will see, combined with 20% of what we actually see.

I was floored. 

Immediately, I thought “no wonder some people struggle to recognize or appreciate images they see of themselves at first glance, particularly images taken on cell phones and other quick devices.”  People that already have a bent toward a negative self-image, I have noticed, focus on their personal area of dissatisfaction first when they view an image of themselves.  You know what I’m talking about here, I bet you, the reader, do this yourself! 

If a dancer doesn’t like her feet, they are always the first things that she takes in when she looks at her images.  It turns out that what we are seeing is not necessarily accurate.  Rather, it is a projection of what the brain has taken in over and over again and then is using to make what we have come to understand as the truth. 

Crazy… but also very interesting from an image maker’s perspective!

This must be why, when showing a group of people a set of images, they often all tend to like different images regardless of clear winners (images) in the pack.  It is also why, for instance, a very, very thin person looking at an image of him/herself, may still insist they are, in the photo, larger than he/she is in reality.  This is a result of brain patterns, not actually what they are seeing!!

Then I began to think: in performance, we are seeing and hearing at the same time, but only actually receiving 20% of what is happening in front of us.  We either like or dislike; we are or are not moved by an image/art work/choreography/dancer, 80% based on our past experiences. 

What does this mean for expanding our audience levels in the arts in general?

 I hope this is a topic that gains more importance over the next months and years, as right now the only thing I can think is that we need, more than ever, to expose, educate and engage our young generation in the importance, joy and love of the performing and other arts.  As churches and religions “get them young,” so too must we artists and organizations begin to think that this is more important than ever. Should our youngsters having access to outlets for full self expression and to be moved and inspired continuously from an early age be higher on all our agendas???

Discuss, people!!

Fall Leaves, Almond Butter & Art: What Inspires You?

I was recently contacted by a student who was doing a school project on dance photography.  She asked some expected questions and others not so much.  I was surprised at my reaction to one question; she asked “what’s your inspiration?” which took me a little bit to think how to answer. 

Of course there are the usual suspects like other photographers I have admired for a long time: Howard Schatz, Lois Greenfield, Avedon, David LaChapelle, and my current favorites RJ Muna and Gregory Crewdson.  Then there’s artists that inspire (a new project on the horizon and in the beginning planning stages inspired by the line drawing artist Escher), conversations with other artists, movies (all time fav movie The Matrix, something that inspired my assistant Sasha and I to do this video for Janusphere, have a peak here: )

I’ve been lately inspired much by my toddler daughter Oriane, the way she oohs or coos at the newest thing to come her way (this morning for example it was mom showing her how to get the lid off the almond butter container).  What would our world be like if we all stopped to wonder at the marvels around us, both simple and complex, everyday?

What inspires you??

The Next Dimension: Shooting 3D Dance Photography

Jennifer Jones

I’ve been working on an exciting project lately; shooting dancers with a 3D stills camera!  Just the phrase alone – 3D – is almost common now; with so many movies being produced with that effect these days, new gadgets on the rise etc etc…  But it never fails; we show an individual one of our 3D shots through the viewer and the reaction is always the same: ‘WOW!!’ or a variation of that ‘OH WOW!!’ and repeat repeat repeat.  How does this work??

The only stills camera that is made to do this still uses medium format film. It is a rather interesting looking beauty with three lenses: one for looking through and the other two right below that it shoots through, two frames at a time, one for the left eye and one for the right. 

Ellison Ballet

When the transparencies are developed, you look at them through a viewer.  This separates your eyes to look at the individual images and thus fives the stereo effect.  The results are astounding.  The images pull you into them, making you look at all four corners and beyond to each piece of the picture that is, well, in relief!  For those of you used to glancing at an image for a second or two and moving on, beware.. this sucks you in and doesn’t let you put it down!

There are some challenges to this project for sure!

Janusphere Dance Company

The first is that we are shooting on film, two images just slightly different from each other,  so that there is no possibility of re-touching.  What you shoot is what you get.  Talk about analog!!

The second is that in order to creat the effect that gives the wow factor, we now have to think of the shots in 3 dimensions: we need to create depth in the dancers, background and lighting so that the images come to life.

Ellison Ballet

The third is that we have to trust in what we shoot. While we can shoot test shots that we can see on the computer screen right away, once we shoot on film we have to trust in what we are doing: that the shift in cropping is correct, that the lighting is where we want it and that the dancers look immaculate. It’s an odd feeling that took me a while to get used to, as I’m so accustomed to the immediacy of the digital world.

Andrew Silks and Brittney Feit

Thus far we have shot with some fantastic dancers who have given so generously of their time, patience and energy to the project; Brittney Feit and Andrew Silks from Tulsa Ballet; DeVon Doane with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Stacie Williams of Armitage Gone Dance; Janusphere Dance Company; the Lovely Jennifer Jones and Kristen Arnold of Skybetter and Associates; and just this past weekend the students of Ellison Ballet here in NY. 

Jennifer Jones and Kristen Arnold

Ultimately our goal is to have a gallery showing of this work and we are currently seeking funding and the space for it: When you see the final images they are just ones you don’t want to keep to yourself!

Contact me to learn more about funding opportunities or suggest gallery locations.

Art & Life: Where’s the Balance?

The other night I had the rare opportunity to have a really in depth, great conversation of one of my dear friends here in NYC, Ursula Verduzco.  It was one of those sit back with a glass of something and talk about everything nights… (if you have kids you know how rare that is!). 

I was so struck by one of the comments she made, she said “arts is just so basic to life.”  What a concept… art as a basic to life.  Probably to all of us that live in it and try to make some sort of living out of it, that just seems in passing like a normal thing to us.  But as I really thought about it, I became more and more hyped up.  

At what point does art stop being a basic?  Obviously this is happening in North America and is beginning to be the case throughout Europe.  The lack of funding is a primary example.  The NEA’s appropriations budget for 2011 is almost exactly the same as it was 30 years ago, regardless of inflation or a nearly 30% increase in the population.

As my daughter becomes a toddler and we are exploring colors and crayons, shapes and shades, I am wondering what has happened here.  It seems like our first 5 – 8 years are filled with art as a way to explore and experience the world, learn about others and how to express ourselves.  What changes as we move further in our development as a human and as a group?  When do tests and statistics become more important than our experiences here on this planet?  Why does it seem like those that end up working with numbers, graphs, briefs and reports, or manufacturing endless “widgets” are more valuable than those of us that create? 

Food for thought this week…