Ballet Zaida

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Briana Baldovinos Colorful LA Studio Photoshoot

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Briana Baldovinos

Colorful studio photoshoot in Los Angeles

This was the first photoshoot Briana and I did together. I had seen this colorful photostudio available for rent in LA and thought it would be a great location for us to utilize.

I loved the vibrant colors of this space. I think bright colors are underutilized in art and pop culture. Probably because colors are the “standard” of photos, so people equate less color (black and white) to be more “meaningful” in their expression. (But both black and white and color, are equally valid in their artistic expression.)

Briana brought a great charisma and achieved excellent ballet lines that played well with the lines of the furnishings.

For the lighting, there was one large window located on one end of the studio that we used as our main source. It was an overcast day, so the light came in soft and diffused.

I’ve been photographing for around 14 years so I can shoot quickly when I need to. Briana had done many photoshoots before and is a pro, so we were able to create all these images + more in just a 2 hour time period.

You can follow Briana on IG at @Briana.Ballerina and you can keep up with my work right here on the Zine.

-Oliver Endahl

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Ayne Kim - The Pointe Shop Model of 2023

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Ayne Kim was the winner of The Pointe Shop’s 2023 Model search.

For this photoshoot, we created at Papago Park and then at a photo studio in Phoenix Arizona.

We began the shoot at dawn so we could capture the stunning colors from the sunrise. Sometimes shooting at dawn can be a chilly endeavor, but since we were shooting at the right time of the year, we had a perfect 85 degrees the whole time we were outside.

As you can see, Ayne is insanely talented. She achieved these phenomenal ballet positions while standing in pointe shoes outside on dirt. (And she makes it look easy)

As usual, for this shoot I used my Sony A7 R IV and my Sony A 7 IV to create the photos, and then tweaked their colors using Adobe Lightroom.

(Not an ad for Adobe or Sony. I just get a lot of people asking what I shoot and edit with)

After we finished at the park, we headed to a local photo studio that we had rented.

It was great to shoot outside and then in. The vibes from the first half to the second half of the shoot are very different.

The first half captured dance with nature, and the second half focused more on a mesh of dance with a flair of fashion editorial.

Ayne is extremely talented, and I had a blast working and collaborating with The Pointe Shop.

You can keep up with both Ayne and The Pointe Shop on their Instagram accounts listed below;

@AyneKim

@ThePointeShop

-Oliver Endahl

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Kate Huntington in studio shoot + Interview

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Kate Huntington

Studio shoot + interview

Kate Huntington and I have been collaborating for years. We’ve shot in New York, Washington, California, Arizona, and more.

The photos featured today are from the latest shoot that we did towards the end of 2023.

After our photoshoot I sent Kate a few questions to be featured here.

Here are her answers.

- Introduction -

Hi! I’m Kate Huntington. I am currently a senior at the University of Arizona’s School of Dance. I will be graduating this spring with a dual degree in Dance and Economics. My early training began at ARC School of Ballet in Seattle, Washington, and continued at New York’s American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, and Houston Ballet. As of today, I hold an apprenticeship with ARC Dance’s professional ballet company.

- What are 3 things you want to see change in the ballet industry? -

There are several things I would love to see change in the ballet industry. From a young age, I was fed the idea that to be a professional dancer, there is a specific path you have to take. When I decided to go the collegiate route, I accepted that my chances of a ballet career were gone. As I near graduation, I realize it is not as black and white as I had imagined. I hope to prove that achieving a fulfilling career post-graduation is achievable. I hope ballet companies shift to accepting dancers of diverse backgrounds and upbringings. In my opinion, being homeschooled and moving away from your family at 15 years old to train should not be the norm. I would love for the industry to celebrate dancers who chose to get their degrees and who prioritize their well-being. These desires may be dismissed as naïve, though they are plausible when there is a communal effort to evolve. Overarchingly, companies need to better support their dancers’ mental and physical health. The two should not have to be sacrificed to be successful in this profession. 

- Do you think it’s important for dancers to have passions & hobbies outside of dance? -

Absolutely. I think it is important to be a human first and a dancer second. I feel I would have burned out and lost my passion for dancing had I given up everything else. I would go as far as to say that personal development and fulfillment are beneficial to one’s dancing. It affects the energy that you bring into the studio and onto the stage. Finding balance is a daily challenge, however, I know that making the effort is worth it. 

-Top 5 favorite movies (just a general 5 in no particular order)

You can never go wrong with The Intern, Gifted, We’re the Millers, Surfs Up and The Blind Side. 

- Any upcoming performances you’re excited about? -

I am currently preparing to perform a student choreographed work, “Tuyo” by Michelle Fricker in a School of Dance scholarship benefit. We will perform alongside Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ballet Tucson, and guest speaker, Misty Copeland. I am looking forward to our Dance Springs Eternal performance as well. It’s filled with Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s “Somberismo”, Alvin Ailey’s “Streams”, and other exciting works!

-3 of your favorite dance pieces? (In no particular order) 

William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude. Crystal Pite’s Emergence and The Seasons’ Canon. I grew up watching both choreographers’ works at Pacific Northwest Ballet and developed a great respect for their artistry and creative style. In the classical realm, I would say my dream role lies in Romeo & Juliet. 

You can keep up with Kate through her Instagram and keep an eye on this Zine for more of our photoshoots.

-Oliver Endahl

@K8Huntington

Instagram

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The Zine Format

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Social Media isn’t what it used to be.

Today, the number 1 way we all use Instagram is to DM our friends comedy videos and Memes. (Which is why comedy absolutely crushes on social right now) It’s the thing people want to see when they use the app.

The context in which we intake media matters. For example, the state of mind we have when we visit a museum is an entirely different state of mind compared to when we enjoy food and drinks with friends at a restaurant. The same is true with social media. It’s become a place for sensationalized videos that are designed to induce a quick reaction to garner views that generate intense feelings that are forgotten as quickly as they were forged. Social media isn’t conducive to intaking and deconstructing your feelings on art. It’s just not the place for it. (Like filling up your car with gas and at the same time trying to analyze and deconstruct the meaning of the Mona Lisa. It’s not the time or place)

Because of this though, we’re trying a new format. Specific posts on this, the Ballet Zaida Zine (Zine pronounced like “MagaZINE”)

The Wikipedia definition of a Zine is; “A zine is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine.”

( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zine )

Obviously, our Zine isn’t physical. (Although it could be fun to do a physical issue sometime) But the ethos is the same.

Social Media is designed to be addictive. We scroll until we feel a rush of endorphins, and then we keep scrolling. All the while, even when we aren’t using social media, we hand over every aspect of our digital lives to tech companies that then sell it to advertisers who want to distract your mind and drain your bank account to sell you things to capture that same endorphin rush you were looking for in the first place.

Instead of looking for endorphins by scrolling endlessly through a feed filled with fast moving people, topics and feelings, this is a place you can enjoy without giving up your life to social media companies and advertisers.

This is a place where my art will be shared and you can experience it without the stress of people fighting for your attention through sensationalism.

This is a place to enjoy photography and the thoughts of myself and the artists featured in the work.

This is a place to intake and deconstruct art.

Welcome to the Zine.

-Oliver Endahl