Colorful, expressive, creative– I totally loved photographing this tight-knit, unique group of students in this modern dance ensemble! In this photograph I wanted to capture their close, supportive nature. “Individually we are one drop, together we are an ocean” –Satoro⠀
Professor, Megan Mizanty, of Wilson College, reached out to me to photograph her expressive, unique, diverse group of dancers. At the end of the day she was looking for creative photographs that captured individual dancers and the entire group that could be used for flyers and other PR materials.
I worked with Megan to understand the group and created images that were artful, unique and custom tailored to fit this group of dance students. I am excited to share that one of these images (the last one in this blog post) will be appearing in Dance Magazine!
I started by capturing a few quick portraits of Professor Mizanty– I love how her kind, friendly personality comes across in this image…
Megan shared about the dance group that she leads, “Orchesis is a welcoming and inclusive dance environment for many different skill levels and backgrounds. The clothing choices reflect the dancers’ individual expressiveness, and our show mirror the unique mix of personalities and styles with each semester, depending on the students involved.”
“Students work with visiting artists; attend performances in other venues; study in New York City; engage in choreographic projects; work in the community to educate and develop an audience for dance; gain experience in lighting, sound and costume design – all technical aspects of performance.”
Here she leads a group of students…
Megan shared about her choice of Rhinehart photography, “We were drawn to your use of physicality and the way you were able to capture motion and emotion and your artistic use of colors, angles and light. We were also recommended to you by fellow professor, opera singer, Lisa Turchi.” (you can see some of her portraits here).
When I think of Wilson College, I think not only of its proximity to my home (about 15 minutes) and its liberal arts degrees, but its stunning architecture. In this next photograph I wanted to show off both the gothic revival architecture and the high-energy, talented, expressive students…
Each student offers a different perspective and is encouraged to embrace their individuality.
The atmosphere is collaborative and supportive. (I love playing with light, form and reflections!)
The group offers students new insights and perspectives… (I love to play with perspective!)
Professor Mizanty explained, “I help to cultivate leadership, creativity and a sense of community among all of our dancers and choreographers. I want everyone to leave each semester of Orchesis feeling as though they’ve challenged themselves, surprised themselves and became curious about future creative possibilities in their lives.”
Megan literally holding the spotlight on her dancers!
This image speaks volumes about her approach and dedication…
One dancer shared, “Orchesis is an outlet for me to express emotion, be creative, have fun and challenge myself physically and mentally in a tight-knit group of dancers. By the end of every show, we are a close group of students working together to present a cohesive performance. Professor Mizanty visits our rehearsals to offer feedback on both the choreography and performance, helping each dance progress and grow in preparation for the performance.”
Orchesis will be performing soon– on Friday and Saturday, April 6th (7 p.m.) and 7th (7 p.m. and 2 p.m.) at Laird Hall. They plan to feature dances from nearly 30 young performers!
And here is the image I promised that will be in Dance Magazine!
Professor Mizanty, students of Orchesis and Wilson College, it is my hope that these images are just the sort of eye-catching, artistic photos that celebrate your values and attributes in a visual way. I hope that they will draw attention to the great work you are doing on campus and am so excited to see them on your PR materials, social media and upcoming edition of Dance Magazine!
If you would like to see more photography at Wilson College, you may want to follow this link to see photographs of opera singer and Wilson College music professor, Lisa Turchi, or ballerina, Jessica, both photographed on campus in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.