Abby Kurdin ~ Children’s Miracle Network Ambassador

When Abby’s mom first reached out, little did I know that I would have a miracle coming into my studio and in front of my lens. My first real conversation with Jan came the night before my shoot with Abby. I was sitting in Tampa Intl Airport and we chatted over the phone about the shoot and moreso she gave me Abby’s full story. I was blown away and really could not wait to work with her. What a truly amazing and just inspiring story of hope it is.

(note my footwear!)

By all accounts, Abby’s life seems to be relatively normal. She is 13. She loves to shop. She loves to dance. Her dream is to pursue a career in dance. She does the various intensives along with regular classes. Again, this is pretty “normal” or typical for a young girl this age pursuing dance further. What you don’t know by looking at her, what you can’t tell by watching her is the fact that she is dancing at all is a miracle.

No one in their right mind would ever think that falling off a monkey bar as a 4 year old preschooler, bumping her head and getting knocked unconscious, may have been the best thing that ever happened to someone. But this is exactly what happened to Abby. She fell off the monkey bars at recess, was knocked out and taken to Dayton Children’s where a CT scan showed no concussion but there was something there at the base of her brain.

It was revealed that Abby had a rare malformation, Chiari, which was causing her brain and spine to grow together and causing pressure. It was likely present at birth and is usually not detected on cat scans. So it was truly amazing that the radiology tech actually caught it. Had this still gone undetected, she could have experienced many serious problems such as headaches and coordination issues, just to name a few, but it could have also lead to her being paralyzed. To correct this, Abby had to have brain surgery in 2002 at Dayton Children’s and recovered quickly from it.

Now, years later, she is back in the mix and you would never know anything ever happened. She started her summer at the Rock School and is currently doing an intensive at PNB in Seattle. She has traveled the country dancing, winning awards and loving her life. Come fall, she will be back at the Rock School in Philly and pursuing her dreams of joining a company one day.

Abby was a blast to work with. We worked in the studio and went to Valley Forge Park for some as well. Below are some of the images from our session as well as her video story from CMN! I encourage you all to watch it!!

Special Day for a Special Friend!

Believe it or not, I met Lisa through Craigslist. No, it wasn’t a personals ad. I was looking for some dance models to shoot for content for my book. I did not want to go through the main companies. I wanted to find a diamond in the rough. Boy did I find just that and more. It wasn’t that quick though. Lisa was one of two girls who responded. She forwarded me some pics she had but nothing ever came about from it.

About a year later (2008), Lisa reached back out to me on Facebook. She was asking if I still needed models. At that time, I was happy with my content and had no particular projects going on. But I recalled an experience I had on Model Mayhem where I was to be doing a TFP with a local model and by the time we got our schedules working, she was looking to charge me and no longer doing TFP. I remember feeling quite put off by this, especially since we had already been talking about doing it. Recalling that disappointment, I told Lisa that we would work together! Little did either of us foresee the friendship that would soon be forged.

Lisa and I chatted on Facebook at least once a day, every day, for I think months. She worked at a cyber school. We chatted about dance, ballet, technique, etc. It was almost routine – we would talk before and after lunch, as the internet there crashed due to usage. We did manage to set up a date to shoot.

The day of the shoot was the first day we actually met but since we talked so much and so often, it felt like old friends when she arrived. I guess for all intents, by that time, we were. We had chatted for a few months before we actually met. The shoot was very fun and very laid back. We joked. We laughed. We drank beer and ate pizza. We took amazing pictures and we took fun ones. She took pics of me. We took some partnering shots. This was the first of quite a few times we would shoot in my studio.

Lisa and I met when I was on the verge of a career explosion. I do credit her for part of it. Her lines are beautiful. Her grace and poise are pristine. Her legs and feet are strong yet elegant. Perfect form and great arches. Again, our meeting and subsequent shoot were at the doorstep of what would be a whirlwind ride for me in my craft, which has not stopped.

Shortly after our first shoot, I had Lisa back in studio a couple more times. One of them were for Tutu.Com run by my dear friend, Claudia. We were shooting along with Erin Royston, who is also now engaged. The very last shot of the night was one that was conceived by Lisa. It was a very simple shot, but was so effective and impactful, it wound up being in Pointe Magazine as an ad for Tutu.Com.

I don’t recall when, but Lisa left the charter school and we were both busy with work, so we werent talking as often. We would check in with each other to see what was what. I think it was that next year (2009) that Lisa got engaged to her HS sweetheart, Dave. I knew or at least hoped, that I would be the photographer for this event.

The following year was a big year for Lisa. Aside from planning her wedding, she auditioned for and got a dancing job with a professional company here in Philly! OMG!!! I was soooo thrilled for her. I got to see her dance onstage which was just such a treat for me! She also decided to go back to school for graduate studies in dance so she could teach on a collegiate level. I was excited for her and also helped her on her application thesis.

So, wrapping this longwinded ramble up… It is because of all of this, that this wedding was a very, very special day for me. It was an honor to be a part of this special day for a very special friend.

their wedding dance:

DTI Nationals

I am down here in Savannah, Georgia, to offer sessions to the many wonderful dancers who are participating in the DTI (Dance Troupe Inc) Nationals at the Savannah Civic Center. Currently, they are offering workshops and rehearsals with the competition being at the end of the week.

I was approached a while ago by Cindy Hollingsworth about offering sessions down here. I “met” Cindy through Allie Parsons dance teacher, Pam Wurdeman. Cindy mentioned to Pam that she wanted to use some of my images of Allie for her ads in Dance Studio Life magazine. So, from time to time, Cindy will use my images in her ads. She then approached me about setting up shop down here and doing sessions. I was excited and immediately agreed to it! Cindy has now been a long time supporter of my work and I like to help those who help me.

It is ridiculously hot down here. I broke my first sweat by 8:30 while walking to the venue. I am enjoying my time here though. I had my first session this am with Katie & Kevin Watson, a young brother and sister. Katie is more interested in contemporary dance with Kevin being into hip hop. We shot for about 30 minutes and got some great shots. I am very happy with them! Below are some teasers! 2 and a half days here shooting!!

Holly Curran

Each client offers a unique experience. One I enjoy is where we can talk about different experiences, choreography and other artists. These kind of conversations allow you to connect as artists in a wonderful way. You allow yourselves to be taken to a completely different place and that is why we create is it not? These unique experiences are truly what make my job so amazing. Its such a thrill to be part of their lives and learn about them.

Holly and I have been friends on Facebook for a while and finally met when I started working with Ballet Fleming. She’s a graduate of the University of the Arts and also danced with Ballet Austin. I have shot her on stage and did a mini Tutu.Com shoot. I had donated a photo shoot to Ballet Fleming for their silent auction for Tapas. Holly was the lucky winner! That was also fun for me. Well, we finally were able to get a date set and she came in from NJ for the shoot. We had a lot of fun. We talked dance – choreo, her travels and experience, some of mine and of course, we created some fun images! It is really awesome to get to know people better, you are able to connect on a deeper level and you get to learn! This summer, she will be doing a summer residency in Montana with Ballet Montana so she wanted to get the shoot in before she left. I am glad we did!

Here are some of the images….

Kat hitting the hardwood, ruffling the neighbors!

Kat and I kinda met in February when she was one of the performers for the first ever Tap Teaser on Tour, to benefit my program, Hope Dances. Our second encounter came when Pamela Hetherington asked me to do the promo shots for her and Kat’s upcoming Fringe show, “Too Darned Hot.”

I actually was behind Kat in the coffee shop two doors down from my studio, but since I had only seen her once, I wasn’t sure it was her, so I said nothing. However, as I was checking FB while waiting for my java, our dialogue began. Apparently, she messaged me while SHE was in line, asking if I wanted something. I saw it and responded when I was in line.

So anyway, the shoot was a blast. At the end, Kat and I spoke about working together again. I don’t shoot a lot of tap so I am still uncertain of it. I don’t have the same confidence as when I shoot ballet or hip hop. But I wanted to shoot more, for the fun and challenge!

We finally locked in a date and time and met at my studio. She started by just dancing and I would capture as I saw things. She was going full out. My studio is an old building in downtown Phoenixville and you can hear EVERYTHING from floor to floor.

Well, in no time at all, I was engaged in a multi floored chat with my neighbors upstairs who were trying to paint as Kat was hoofing. It was one for the books for sure! “What’s going on down there? It sounds like someone is tap dancing!” “They are!” “why?” “I’m doing a photo shoot!” “While someone is tap dancing?” “Yes! I’M A DANCE PHOTOGRAPHER!” “Well, its hard to focus on painting with the dancing.” “SORRY!!!” Epic to say the least!

So, from that point on, we stopped dancing and just started to hit poses which actually worked out well! I had such a great time working with Kat! She is such a sweet person and just a wonderfully fun talent. I think we got some great images!!

Here are some of our faves!!!