Zahna Simon is a deaf dancer located in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the company and festival assistant director at the Urban Jazz Dance Company and is extremely talented.
We used a variety of locations in SF, including the Sutro Bath Ruins, Ocean Beach, the Hidden Staircase, and Sutro Heights Park.
You can follow Zahna on Instagram here @DeafEnPointe
-Oliver Endahl
Jane Woodford and June Freeman are the 2024 Pointe Shop Models.
For this session with them, we shot in the Orange County area in Southern California.
Both June and Jane are extremely talented and this shoot was absolutely epic.
You can follow them on their IG’s below, along with the Pointe Shop.
Till next time,
-Oliver Endahl
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
Sofia and I have shot together a few times over the years in a variety of states and locations.
This time, we spent the day creating in San Francisco, California.
Isn’t that arabesque crazy?
We started the shoot at Bernal Heights, which offers beautiful views of the city + a nice view of the Sutro Tower (which you can see in the bottom right corner of the image above)
After bernal we headed to the Legion of Honor Museum.
The legion of honor is a popular photo spot in SF because it has a good variety of photogenic locations in the vicinity.
Our last location was Ocean Beach. That evening the weather rolled in some extremely dense fog that created a gorgeous mysterious atmosphere.
This shoot was extremely fun and we got a ton of gorgeous outdoor dance photos.
You can follow Sofia on IG here, and keep an eye on the zine for more photos down the line.
-Oliver Endahl
Briana Baldovinos and I met up in Orange County, California.
We started the shoot indoors at a photo studio, and then headed to the coast to shoot at Victoria Beach.
This shoot was massive. We spent 2 hours in the studio and then at least an hour and a half on the beach. We got a ton of epic photos, and I had a blast chatting with Briana during the shoot! On top of dance, she’s also crushing it in academia. Below is a short interview with her.
Give us an introduction
Hello Everyone, my name is Briana Baldovinos and I am a 22 year old freelance dancer! I currently work at Disneyland as a parade performer in “Magic Happens”. I just recently graduated from UC Riverside with my Bachelor’s of Science in Neuroscience.
What’s your favorite food?
My favorite food is SUSHI!!! I love sushi and can never get tired of it.
What music are you listening to this summer?
My music genre varies on how I’m feeling, but this summer I have really been into house music!
What do you enjoy about modeling?
I enjoy the aspect of letting my confidence shine when modeling. I feel like I can really let the true art form of dance come to life when modeling and allow those who view it see the beauty of dance as well.
What’s something people might not know about you?
Some people may not know that I am premed! I would love to pursue a career in the medical filed and enjoy helping others!
What’s a piece of art (movie, painting, play, ballet, broadway, television show, book, song, poem, etc..) That moved you the most this year so far?
A book that’s moved me is “They both die in the end”, it’s about 2 boys who get news that they will die by the end of the day and don’t know how. They each are looking for a friend to spend their day with and it just puts into perspective that life is short and to make everyday a great day filled with love.
Would you rather Kayak 50 miles or Skateboard 50 miles?
I would rather skateboard 50 miles, my leg strength is much greater than my upper body strength.
What’s your plan for 2025?
In 2025 I would like to continue to grow in my dance and modeling career and gain more opportunities. I would also like to continue in my medical career and pursue my dreams.
You can follow Briana on Instagram here and you can check out our previous shoot featured in the Zine here
Till next time,
-Oliver
