Welcome to Ballet Focus! This blog provides commentary on my two passions, ballet and photography. I developed a love of dance during my days at a non-professional ballet company in Kansas over 30 years ago. Although I did not pursue dance as a vocation, my participation sparked a passion for dance. Fortunately, I currently live in New York City with ample opportunities to take in the world’s greatest dancers, particularly American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and New York City Ballet.
I also enjoyed photography in the days of film and darkrooms from long ago. But somehow other endeavors emerged as higher priorities. My interest was re-kindled by the birth of my daughter in 2004, as I sought to capture important milestones in her life, and meanwhile entered the age of digital photography. My photography intensified in 2011 with an acquisition of a digital single lens reflex camera and has accelerated since.
My interests in ballet and photography merged in 2005; during curtain calls for Julio Bocca’s final ABT performance, I regretted not having a camera to capture this historic moment as Julio bid farewell to his adoring fans. I have not made that mistake again, as I have since captured ABT dancers during their curtain calls. I am honored to have captured such great dancers as Angel Corella, Ethan Stiefel, Paloma Herrera, Nina Ananiashvili, and Irina Dvorovenko.
My photography website notmydayjobphotography.com, which concentrates on ballet curtain calls, houses of worship, landscapes (particularly in New York and Maine), and photos of historical interest, debuted in September 2012. While updating my website with new commentary on the ABT 2013 season, I thought, why not start a blog? This is the result.
Ballet Focus naturally focuses on ballet (particularly ABT and New York City Ballet) and photography. With a blog as an excuse, I hope to branch out to other ballet companies that visit New York. Who knows, maybe even modern dance. Please drop me a line with any comments and thanks for joining. Kent