Interview

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Elseana Skowronski Interview + SF Photoshoot

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Elseana Skowronski is a talented dancer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. We’ve shot together many times over the years.

Below is an interview with Elseana + photos from our latest shoot.

Top 5 favorite movies ever (in no order; just 5 movies)

Dirty Dancing, You’ve Got Mail, The Wedding Planner, Chicago, 500 Days of Summer

Favorite movie of 2024!

Wicked, hands down. I’m not really one to go to the theaters much or explore very many new movies. Usually when movies are heavily hyped I inevitably  am disappointed. Wicked lived up though. Obsessed.

Does your relationship to dance feel different now than it used to? (Put another way; Has your relationship with dance changed at all?)

Definitely! I used to get much more caught up in the perfection of it all and get very stressed out by the performance aspect. I don’t dance as much as I would like anymore, but I definitely have more of an appreciation for just the movement and artistry of it all. I also unfortunately deal with a lot of chronic pain, so that has had an effect on the way I move my body. I think over all I am much more gentle and forgiving of myself when I dance now!

What music artists do you listen to?

Soooo many! My top artists this year were Olivia Dean, Hozier, SZA, Kendrick Lamar, and Noah Kahah, which I think represents my music taste pretty well.

What brings you joy?

Lately my friends/family/community has felt especially warm and important to me. Also music, flowers and my house plants, and art :)

Is it important for people to have hobbies?

I would argue yes! I think it shapes you into a full human. I think it’s easy to get caught up in work/school/responsibilities/etc. but if you don’t have enjoyable interests, what’s the point of life really?

Do you enjoy traveling? If so, what’s been a recent favorite trip of yours?

I do! I have been traveling more and more lately and I went on a lot of fun trips this year. Most recent fav was definitely Sri Lanka! It was my first time out of the country and I went to see one of my best friends! I got to spend some good quality time with her, ate a lot of really good food, swam in the ocean, and fulfilled a life long dream of seeing elephants in the wild hehe.

Where do you think the genre of repertory dance should go? Is there anything you want to see more of?

I would love to see repertory dance become more accessible to viewers and more inclusive in its representation. I feel like art deserves to be seen and felt and experienced by the masses, and that’s difficult when it is often catered toward such a small demographic.

What is your current go to “feel good” show?

Always Gilmore Girls and How I Met Your Mother!

What is a movie you saw this year that you liked but probably won’t rewatch?

This is actually a really difficult question because I am a major re-watcher, even if the film was mediocre lol. I think maybe this move called Love At First Sight. I technically have already watched this twice… But the first time was during a movie night I had with a friend and we literally talked through the entire thing, so I went back to watch again, and though it was a cute and enjoyable watch, we weren’t missing much by talking through it lol.

You can follow Elseana on IG here @Elseana.Dance

Till next time,

-Oliver Endahl

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Sydney Tyra in downtown LA + Mini Interview 2024

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Sydney Tyra and I got together for a shoot at a studio in the downtown Los Angeles area.

Below are my favorite shots from the shoot + a mini interview with her.

Favorite Quote?

I love the quote from Little Women: “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.”

Favorite pizza toppings???

Artichoke and cheese!

What’s your favorite movie you’ve seen this year? (It can be old or new, as long as it was new to you)

I’d have to say Challengers! Amazing actors/score/cinematography all around.

What’s your unwinding routine?

My unwinding routine includes a solo walk by the ocean with some relaxing music, a long shower, and a Disney movie in my bed with a nice candle lit. (My all time fav is probably the Lion King)

What’s your favorite part about modeling?

My favorite part of modeling is when I get into the “flow” and everything else sort of melts away. I’m able to fully be in the moment and allow myself to express whatever comes to me. It’s almost similar to the feeling I get when I dance/improv!

If you could travel anywhere, what’s at the top of your list?

The top of my list is either Mykonos or Sweden to see the Northern Lights!

You can follow Sydney on Instagram here @Sydney.Tyra and keep an eye on the Zine for more shoots with her in the future.

Till next time,

-Oliver

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Jaclyn Younger in the studio

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Jaclyn Younger and I have shot many times over the years. She is a frequent collaborator and is always a joy to work with. These photos were created earlier this year at a new photo studio I hadn’t used before.

I gave Jaclyn various interview questions for this post. Here are her answers

What’s been your favorite piece to perform?

Over the years I've performed several traditionally classical roles that I really love (demi-soloist in Paquita, Snow Queen, Dew Drop, and Spanish Lead in The Nutcracker, and variations such as Gamzati's wedding variation from La Bayadere and the La Esmeralda variation), but the pieces that tend to stick to me the most lean more neoclassical and contemporary. Last season I performed in an original piece, Quatro, by Juilliard alumni and current University of New Mexico professor Vladimir conde Reche and it will always be a piece that I remember as a catalyst for growth, challenge, and overall, the love of performance as a whole. I can't wait to see what new roles and pieces continue to inspire me in the near future. 

 What are other forms of art you enjoy outside of ballet? 

Outside of ballet, I'm very drawn to both writing and photography. I graduated with a BA in Multimedia Journalism which I have been able to turn into a side job of professionally curating blogs and social media sites. Additionally, I work as an Assistant Creative Director for a nationally known wedding photography team (shout out to Alicia Lucia Photography), that allows me to continue to expand my skills as a writer, curator, and viewer of real-life love stories. 

Beyond my professional pursuits, I'm a sucker for art galleries both big and small. I'll find any excuse to visit an exhibit or full blown museum in my local community and when I travel. 

 What do you think needs to change about the ballet industry?

There are so many elements of ballet that need to change, but the most prominent to me are the treatment of dancers and the perception of bodies in the dance world. Too many times dancers are asked to essentially work for free or for very little money in high stress situations with sometimes zero medical or emotional support from dance companies. In any other field of work employees are able to demand more, however in the dance world, especially when it comes to ballet, asking for livable wages and appropriate work conditions is taboo and dancers are generally expected to 'tolerate it'. I fully support the notion of more dancers, no matter the size of their companies, unionizing in order to create a better present for themselves and  future for aspiring dancers. 

Additionally, I think that there needs to be a huge adjustment in the way that the ballet world handles the idea of a 'perfect ballet body'. For too long there has been a stigma around weight in ballet companies around the globe and this diminishes the fact that dancers are human beings and therefore should be able to embrace change in their bodies over the years. 

If ballet as a whole can't take on the demands of the 21st century such as treating dancers like people instead of just bodies, there is a real question of if the art form itself can truly be salvaged moving forward. As someone who loves ballet to my core, I hope that ballet, and the dance world at large, can adapt and create a more welcoming, realistic community for all.  

You can follow Jaclyn on IG and keep an eye here for more of our shoots in the future.

-Oliver

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Alexandra Light - Interview and Virtual Photoshoot

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I’ve shot with Alexandra Light many times over the years and we recently did a virtual photoshoot together using the information superhighway.

Alexandra has been a dancer with Texas Ballet Theater for a some years now and recently helped unionize the dancers of the company. (Which we love)

This post features an interview I did with Alexandra as well as photos we created from our virtual shoot. You’ll see the original photo we shot through the internet using Alexandra’s cell phone, and then you’ll see my edited photo. (It’s pretty amazing what you can achieve using an iPhone and Photoshop nowadays)

-Here’s an introduction to Alexandra Light in her own words;

“I was born and raised in Washington DC, where I completed my ballet training at Maryland Youth Ballet (with summers at SAB, SFB, Kaatsbaan, Houston, etc). I spent one year in Houston Ballet II and joined Texas Ballet Theater in 2012, where I still dance now as a principal dancer. I am an emerging choreographer and consider myself an antidisciplinary artist, with movement based and visual based practices. I have done many different things, including commercial modeling and fine art gallery representation, as well as achieving a bachelor's degree in psychology, all while dancing professionally. I love ballet and storytelling through dance but I think the industry is in a lot of trouble if it doesn't start to make some serious changes. I am always an artist advocate, as well as concerned with how art can positively impact the world around us. “

-You just helped unionize the dancers of Texas ballet Theatre. Why is it important for ballet dancers to be unionized & what was the process like of making it happen?

“It is really difficult for me to imagine why, in our very unique situation as ballet dancers, both staff and dancers wouldn't want their ballet company unionized, because having dancer input and codification of existing rights benefit all.  It is so important because it essentially guarantees that dancers and staff both have the communication and the tools they need to do the best job they can. Many dancer contracts lack in huge ways, whether it be pay to increase with inflation, bodily autonomy, or gender disparity in pay, etc. By unionizing, we figure out as a group of dancers what makes the most sense for us now and how we can build on it to go forward. The process was long but honestly extremely powerful; our team at AGMA were the best and educated us every step along the way. For the group of us (and I am lucky to have had many supportive dancers in our group concerned with making these positive changes) it was really beautiful to see everyone come together, research, connect, and be in solidarity as workers.”

-Do you think being a union leader as a dancer might affect your casting & career?

“I definitely worry about it from time to time but honestly, at this stage in my career, if my doing what I think is right and supporting my fellow dancers puts me in jeopardy, then so be it. I would say to the people who look to squash those of us trying to make positive change in a career that really, really needs it, to think about the sustainability of ballet long term- staff and dancers *have* to work together to make things better. As someone who works in the arts in more ways than just ballet, it is so apparent how badly the ballet world lags behind other art forms. Unionization is a great way to address many of the huge issues ballet companies face as we enter the mid 21st century.”

-You’re a choreographer yourself. What are your thoughts on the lack of female choreographers in the ballet world?

“I would love to talk about the challenges of the under-representation of female choreographers! It is hard to feel like no one wants you doing what you want to do, and even if they don't say it, the numbers make it clear. Dance Data Project just reported its numbers for the previous season, and only 22% of works in the top 50 largest ballet companies were choreographed by women. 22%!! and that was *down*!! from something like 27% I believe in the last report! Like, what?!?! People love to ignore this issue and say 'yes we care about gender disparity BUT etc etc etc...' and then not actually take action, and I just think it is crazy. I think there is some narrative that by promoting women being the storytellers, we are saying 'down with the men', and that couldn't be further from the truth. As the saying goes, rising tides raise all ships! We will all benefit from a more holistic and inclusive ballet world, and the storytelling is a huge part of that. I am happy to be a part of the change, though I really feel by 2023 we should have had this figured out by now?!? It is very powerful after a performance I’ve put on, or a choreographic premier, pretty much every time I hear from a peer or a student that watching me create has inspired them to take action in their own lives, even if they feel alone or unrepresented.”

-As a choreographer, what’s the process of creating dance work for you?

“Creating a new dance work always starts with specific inspiration, whether abstract or more concrete. I love looking into history, science, or mythology for my works, and I am such a fan and genuinely enjoy research. Then comes the great music hunt. I look forward to working with creators of music (like my partner!) more, but often I am finding music that I can get permissions for and license when appropriate (I never want to make people work for free). Then I listen listen listen a thousand times, working out the composition of a work by writing down the phrases of the music in a notebook. From there, I get more specific with movements, sections, etc throughout the music in my notations. That is all before I work with the dancers! I like to really, really have a good idea of the bones of a work before I come into the studio. However, even with the bones laid out, once I get in there with the dancers, it's a new world. I use my outlining and notation as a great guide, but I don't let it keep me from getting inspired on the spot by the dancers, or what looks good and feels good for their bodies. I just love it, all of it.”

-Something I see often with people who want to create art, is that they procrastinate the task because they’re afraid of their creation/art being bad. Any tips how to deal with that as an artist?

“Yes this is such a thing! I deal with it too from time to time. I approach it in two ways: Sometimes, especially for ballet dancers, we think we have to do it all, always, all the time- sometimes you're not actually procrastinating, but you actually need a rest. So if I'm realizing my procrastinations are actually a tad more on the burnout side, I try to give myself nothing to do, or reconnect to nature, just take time to feel free in my mind- it can lead to the best pushes to start a new project! And for the other times, when I truly am procrastinating out of fear of "failure"- you gotta just take the jump! I remind myself that even failure can be beautiful, and that by accepting new challenges in the face of fear you build true confidence.”

You can keep up with Alexandra Light on her website and socials;

www.AlexandraLight.Art

IG: @Farbie