Ballet Portraits: Rocky-Jay Bowyer

In January, I had the opportunity to shoot some ballet portraits with dancer, Rocky-Jay Bowyer. When I asked about his career as a dancer, he replied, "I have only just started." Rocky attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree and spent 8 to 10 hours a day dancing in addition to classes and lectures. After graduation, he moved to Nashville, where he currently dances with the Nashville ballet in their second company.

"There is a ton of work that goes into being a dancer," says Rocky. "As you get older and become more involved in the craft, everything becomes second nature." He explains that there are a lot of habits that come with the trade. One of his dance teachers once told him that in order to be successful at dance, "you have to be psycho about it," and Rocky agrees with this statement. Just like with any field of study, dance involves doing your homework. "You have to go home, stretch, research different styles, cross train, eat healthy, have healthy sleeping habits and much more," says Rocky. He says that it's about putting in the extra time and effort to make it to the next level.

In Rocky's experience, cross training has been the most important key to becoming a professional dancer. "Our body is our career, and without it, we can't further our craft or even practice the craft at all, " he explains. Rocky also acknowledged the importance of taking care of your mind and maintaining your sanity. "As a dancer, it's easy to get wrapped up in your own thoughts so much that you lose sight of a lot of things," he says. He relates it to studying for an exam. "If you study straight through and don't take any breaks, then your mind gets on overload. So you have to also find something else to take your mind off of dance and let your brain rest for a bit, or else you go into information overload and that's when you can hurt yourself or hurt someone else, which is something no dancer wants to do."

Take a look at these shots of Rocky, doing what he loves...

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Ballet Portraits: Rocky-Jay Bowyer - Preview

Here's a couple preview shots from my photo session with ballet dancer, Rocky-Jay Bowyer. I met Rocky back in the spring of 2013, at a dance recital for Elizabeth William's School of Dance. Although his schedule stays packed with performances, we finally managed to work out a time to do some photos. The shoot involved loud music in the studio, a balance of flexibility and perfect timing, and a lot of baby powder (which will make more sense when you see the final set of photos we did). 

Take a look, and stay tuned for more photos and inside look at Rocky's experience as a dancer...

For more photos, visit facebook.com/photographybyericmckinney. If you enjoy my work, take a moment to click "like" on my page.

Ballet Portraits: Josh

Ballet Portraits, Josh & Kristen

Ballet Portraits, Kristen Clark

Ballet Portraits: Preview

Here's a preview from my second photo shoot with talented dancers, Josh and Kristen...

Ballet Portraits - Set 2

   Recently, I did a shoot with Kristen Clark and Josh Matthews, local dancers at Elizabeth William's School of Dance. Both of them are extremely talented individuals, with an incredible sense of strength, flexibility and balance. Josh and Kristen have danced together in a local performance of "The Nutcracker Suite" for several years, with Kristen as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Josh as the Nutcracker. 

   Kristen Clark practices many forms of dance, but she places her focus on ballet and jazz. She started dancing at the age of three when her mother enrolled her in a class, and she has fallen in love with the art of dance since that time. For Kristen, dance is a hobby and something that she couldn't live without; it has become a lifestyle for her. She loves every moment that she gets to perform and influence others with her dancing. When trying to connect with a song that she is dancing to, Kristen focuses on how the meaning of the song relates to her own life at that particular moment. Some of the highlights in her dancing career include being part of the Tremaine Performance Program (a national touring company) and the many awards and accomplishments that she has received through her experiences. Kristen's future plans include studying pre-med in college while being part of the dance team; after college, she hopes to become an optometrist or pharmacist. 

   Josh Matthews has been dancing since he was ten years old; while waiting on his sister to finish practicing for the Nutcracker, Elizabeth Williams offered him the role of the giant toy soldier and Josh was eager to accept and has been dancing since that day. For Josh, dancing is a way to express his feelings. During a performance, he finds that the best way to connect with the music is to open his mind, take in the moment and then put his feelings into the movements. Some of the highlights of his dancing career include receiving the triple threat award, being chosen as a five time rising star award, and winning multiple trophies and money awards at various competitions. Josh's future goals are dancing in college and then starting his own photography business.