UIowa Dance Seniors (2021)
During the fall semester at the University of Iowa , my colleague Jennifer Kayle and I teach a course called “Senior Seminar in Dance.” This is a class designed to support our senior BA and BFA students in preparation for their work in the professional field after graduation.
One of the things we cover is curating professional materials, including promotional items and a digital presence (personal websites and social media profiles). I do a shoot with the students to provide them with additional photos for their portfolios that can be used for this purpose. You can check out some of the images from last year’s group here.
This particular shoot was really fun for me. Because of social distancing guidelines and other COVID-19 safety protocols, I don’t get to see our students in person very often. It was so nice to get out of Zoom and into “the wild” to photograph these phenomenal dance artists. From an artistic perspective, I also love the way this series is a little bit of a love note to the Midwest. Growing up in Flint, the Midwest to me was always industrial. But since first moving to Iowa in 2012, I’ve also come to love the natural beauty of this part of the country. I shot these students in two separate groups: on a parking ramp on campus, and along the Iowa River. I love the two settings, and I love looking at them together.
For this shoot, I maintained a minimum of 6’ distance from the dancers, and I was masked the entire time.
