Gabriella Yudenich – Pennsylvania Ballet Soloist – Maternity

It had been a long desire of mine to do a maternity shoot on pointe. Ballerinas are beautiful. They are graceful and elegant. An expecting mother is also beautiful. She may not feel that way most of the time, but to be with child is an amazing thing. “Mothers to be” possess a certain glow. They are part of a miraculous process. They are creating life. You look at a pregnant mother and you can’t help but smile. Well, at least if you are already a parent, you can’t. You know how much joy their life will be full of as a result of this spirit they are carrying. Plus, the time leading up to the birth is such a fun and exciting time for them and the family, apart from pains, discomfort, morning sickness and odd cravings.

Sorry, I think I went on a rant there. Anyway, because of the above stated things, there is a joy in maternity shoots. It allows the mother to have this life changing period of time documented. I always felt that maternity on pointe would make for some dynamic photos. One thing that didn’t really dawn on me until talking to Gabby at this shoot was just how special it is to capture a dancer’s maternity period DURING her career.

I had just completed my first en pointe maternity shoot with Fang from Koresh Dance Company when I approached Gabby about doing one. We had talked before about working together. However, it can be a daunting tasking trying to schedule around a professional dancer’s schedule. Throw in that dancer being pregnant and boy oh boy, good luck Charlie! So, it was a pleasant surprise almost when she agreed to the shoot and we kept up on communication!

Going into the shoot, I had really little communication or encounters with Gabby. We had never met and only communicated on Facebook a small handful of times. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had always heard such wonderful things about her. However, with little exchange with her myself, I really could not get any kind of read. I mean she was always pleasant when I did correspond with her.

So, we compared schedules and set up our date and time which happened relatively easily. I think with her being in her third trimester and not actively dancing, just doing a party parent in Nutcracker, it makes it easier. I will take it!

The day of the shoot came and I arrived to the studio early to set up and prepare physically and mentally as I always do. Ok. As I always try to do and sometimes actually do. Also, as normal, when I have morning shoots, I usually run to the coffee shop down the corner from the studio for some java to keep me up. This day was no different. However, as I was turning around to walk out of the shop, I saw a woman flash (speed, not the other way. get your mind out of the gutter) by with a bag in her hand. Although she seemed to be keeping a faster pace then I would anticipate someone who is pregnant, she had the look or blur of a dancer. Sure enough, it was her!

We greeted and hustled up into the studio to start chatting and begin work. I was really caught off guard by how bubbly and almost silly she was. She was very fun – light, bubbly and always laughing. This was SOOOO cool! It put me at ease straight away and allowed us to really sync from go. That ALWAYS helps the sessions. If you can connect and develop some kind of chemistry right off the bat, it will prove to be a fruitful session!

Let me also say that Gabby is drop dead gorgeous. Just stunning.

Gabby comes from a storied ballet family! Both of her parents were principal dancers for Pennsylvania Ballet. Her mother, Barbara Sandonato, was the first dancer hired for Pennsylvania Ballet when it formed in 1962 and remained with them until 1977 with the exception of one year spent with National Ballet of Canada where she performed with Rudolf Nureyev. Her father, the late Alexei Yudenich, joined PAB as a principal in 1964 until he left in 1972 to join National Ballet of Canada as a principal. Her parents also won bronze in the 5th IBC in Varna.

She herself met her husband in dance, in school actually at the School of American Ballet, the same school her mother attended. They then reconnected while at work for Pennsylvania Ballet, marrying in 2006. Her husband has since retired and joined the corporate world post-college.

I am so grateful I had the opportunity to work with her and really happy it was for this shoot. It is always nice to be a part of something special and this was just that! Here are some teasers from our shoot. Hope you enjoy!!!

B

EmpoweredME Update 12/3

Well…

The day has come! We have a major announcement regarding EmpoweredME. However, before we get to that, check out this behind the scenes compilation of all of our behind the scenes videos from EmpoweredME sessions!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9zmBgKA-8&feature=mr_meh&list=UUFipoBsBWx1IGwW5gSbBdVg&lf=plcp&playnext=0

Ok… now… the announcement you have ALL been waiting for…
Our long awaited, much anticipated (boy do I sound like Don King, huh?) coffee table book is NOW ON SALE!!!!!!!

Yes, it is finished! 74 pages, full color and all the trimmings! This unique and extravagant piece of artwork features dancers from Philly, Boston, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and beyond! There is an introduction by me about the project as well as a touching note from one of the dancers, Kira, who is a cancer survivor herself!

You can purchase it in soft, hard cover and hard cover with image wrap. These are shipped directly from the publisher – I do not have inventory.

To get yours, just follow the link below!

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2746607

Oh, and we have a BOMBSHELL announcement being made within the next two weeks!!! STAY TUNED!!!

~Adrianna

Adrianna de Svatich currently dances for Ballet Fleming. I have known Adrianna for about 2 years now. We met when she was dancing with Pennsylvania Ballet. At the time, I was working on a project to raise awareness for the fallen police officers of Philadelphia. So, I had brought her in for that as well as a shoot for Tutu.com.

Here are some of those images:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=318632742824&set=a.318632362824.146012.201276982824&type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=305180722292&set=a.300751307292.145157.256421562292&type=3&theater

Months later, I created a series, Wallflowers, which is a play on words. The premise was that I would shoot these beautiful ballerinas (flowers) against my wall in the studio. For this, I had her and Molly Flippen, who at the time danced with her in PAB, shoot with me for it.

Here is a shot of her from that series:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=392029547292&set=a.385496922292.166923.256421562292&type=3&theater

Here is the behind the scenes video of that shoot:

Fast forward… This season, Adrianna went to dance for Ballet Fleming, which I am on the Board of as well as being company photographer. I was really happy when I heard this. I always loved her. She was always sweet and happy and a joy to work with.

So, after a company shoot with Ballet Fleming, I asked Adrianna to come back into my studio and work with me on a couple of projects.

Here is a shot of her from the Ballet Fleming shoot:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150354138257293&set=a.10150354028957293.350169.256421562292&type=3&theater

For our shoot, I wanted to include her on my EmpoweredME series plus my BalletsFemme series. So we did and grabbed a few fun, non project themed, shots.

Here is a teaser:

Ballets Femme ~ Alex

Sometimes as I am working, a name or title will come to me. Ideas will simply pop in my head. Sadly, there is no shut down mode for me except when I am asleep. When a title comes to me, I think about what the project would look like.

One day, the title, Ballets Femme came to me and I sat there and wondered what on earth this would look like. At the same time, I recalled a friend who said that I should do a book on Barre Boys and have it be a part of a Duet with a female counterpart. So after thinking about it some, I decided that this series will be an edgier series then I usually do.

Ballets Femme will showcase the strength, power and beauty of the ballerina but it a much less flowery way. I don’t even think you will see a single tutu. This will be very dark and edgy? lol It will not be fairytale like or princessy. My hope with this is to also challenge myself artistically and get away from my standard high key lighting set up. I want this to be a relatively new angle for me.

So, as I am thinking about this project and who to shoot for it, I immediately thought of my friend, Alex, who dances with Ballet Arizona now. She stuck out immediately due to her physique, her legs especially. She has an amazing presence when I shoot her. Her legs, however, are amazing. Gosh that sounded creepy. lol. No but, when I shoot dancers, one of the things that makes the most impact and can elevate the intensity of an image is their muscle tone. You can see this in Alex’s legs. There is an energy through them and you can see that tone when she poses, almost like she is flexing them.

Herein, lied the problem. Alex now dances for Ballet Arizona. Arizona is not in Pennsylvania and is in fact in the southwestern part of the country, not the midwest like I thought lol. Ugh. The one person who I knew off the bat had to be part of this was not available. Well kiddies, the game changer took place when I was on Facebook last week and saw on my feed something about her coming home. I immediately messaged her on Fb and sent a text. I had to have her in studio while she was home. I was just hoping she would have time!

Since my first shoot with her and her sister, Genna, I developed a friendship with the family. Well, I haven’t met the dad yet but I think he would like me too. I grew fond of Alex and there was an energy we shared when working together. I shot her during her run at BIBC then did some fun location work in the streets of Boston. I have always tried to be as supportive of her and her career as possible and they have done likewise. I am really honored to call them friends and just am so excited to watch her career blossom!

Anyway, so I got her in for a couple of hours and I tried some new lighting on a gray drop and the results are just wonderful!!! So excited to try more out! Below are a few of her favorites from the shoot! Hope you enjoy!!!

B

Empowered Me Update 10/28/11

Wow! What a wonderful response we continue to get on this series! So amazing to be able to create art and affect people deeply and emotionally with it. I mean, that is what we strive to do as artists, create meaningful work. For me, I love to create beautiful, elegant art but also love to create content that stirs the emotions, moves you, leaves you feeling something. Empowered ME did that. Lucky is he who can achieve this! It is in this spirit that I have an announcement to make…

I am excited to inform you that we are moving into the next phase with this project! We will be transitioning out of shooting new work and delving into exhibits of what we have created! The end of November will mark the end of new shoots for Empowered ME. When I took this project on, I knew I wanted to do it for a definitive period of time, so I could get these ideas out of my head and onto dancers. I did not want to take on a new long term project which happens easily to me because of how excited and passionate I am about what I do. Artistically speaking, I want to ensure I am putting out content that I am proud and excited about and to make sure the work is original. I fear that if we continue, this will falter. So, to make sure we leave a lasting impression, we are going to stop “while on top.” We do have a few more shoots lined up for November and tons of unreleased images to present, so you will continue to see new images for a few months yet, I think!

As I said, its a new phase. We are now working to exhibit these prints. Our first showing will be in January of 2012 as part of Koresh’s Artistic Showcase in Center City Philadelphia. In addition, we are looking at other venues to exhibit the work, including cancer treatment centers. This is an exciting part of the process for me! This will bring a reality or tangibility of these images to people, which is just wonderful! Digital images can certainly move you, but seeing a print in front of your face offers you a connection, a realness, that you don’t get online. Hopefully, these brave families will see these images and feel a sense of hope or strength. Hopefully it will give them some sort of positive feeling.

I hope you all will stay with us on this journey and continue to support our efforts and images. We will still have updates and events, so fear not!

Thanks!!

Empowered ME Update ~ 10/21/11

So, we have had a couple more shoots for this project since my last blog entry and we have a few more signed on. This project is taking on a whole new life – moreso than what I thought it would or even planned. However, being an artist and liking things to happen organically, I am not standing in the way of this momentum.

Over the new few weeks and months, we will be sharing more exciting news as things firm up including some big names in dance who will be participating as well as info on showings! Ah, but we must wait for that news.

BUT… I do have SOME exciting news to share with you NOW! Just in time for Christmas, we are releasing images in print form!! These special prints are 8×8 Square Metallic prints. These prints will sell for only $15, plus shipping/handling! We have listed some samples below so you can see what they will look like. Each will have a small border and will bear the Empowered ME text on them. EVERY image you see listed on our galleries can be ordered in print. Larger sizes are available (10×10, etc). You can even get them as gallery wrapped canvas!!!

We also have a brand new behind the scenes video featuring, Kira, who is depicted in that last photo and who also is a dancer with cancer! This video gives you some insight as to how and why she got involved with this project and some footage of us in action… well, here in action!

Here is the video:

Lastly, but certainly not least, we have our very first sponsor for this project! Tutu.Com will be sponsoring us through some leos and tutus for the project! We get our first one today for a childhood cancer shoot this weekend!!!

Please check out their Facebook page below!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/TutuCom/54783047781

Our Facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150312905957293.341592.256421562292&type=3

Empowered ME ~ Update ~ October 14, 2011

Hey all! Well, it’s been just under two weeks since we did our first shoot for Empowered ME! In a short period of time, we have received an overwhelming response to the project and the images. Dancers have since started to seek me out, asking to be a part of it. Such a humbling experience!! Some fun numbers below

* Our first posted image below, received 55 likes and 43 comments.

* My blog (as of the time I am typing this) for the week has almost 1,200 hits.

* We have done 6 shoots with a total of 10 dancers.

* Most of the shoots have taken place in my studio but one happened at Battery Park in NYC.

* Dancers have been in town from PA, NYC, NJ and SLC, Utah!

* Today’s dancer, Kira, has cancer.

Our first shoot was with Jane Koorts of Ballet Fleming. She was a lot of fun and really set the tone for the series.

Next was Jennifer Gordon a ballet teacher and student in South Jersey. Jen used to dance with Atlantic City Ballet. She is a married mom and takes class at Camden County Community College. Her teacher is my good friend, Erin Royston, who also happens to be one of my models for the shoot after Jens! Jen also teaches at a local studio.

The last shoot for the week was with Mindy, Jeanie, Erin and Laura. Mindy and I have been friends for a year or so now. She came in for shots and we just hit it off. She teaches locally, performs and does choreo. Jeanie and I have been friends for 3 or 4 years now. She was a dance major at Uarts and one of my first guinea pigs there. We have remained friends and have worked together several times since. Erin and I have been friends for about 2 or 3 years. She came to me for some shots and we have been close ever since. She is a dear friend to me. Last but not least is Laura. This was the first time I ever met her face to face. We knew each other from Twitter and Facebook. Laura, originally from Bucks County, is a NYC based freelance dancer and also writer for Dance Informa magazine.

Over the weekend, I traveled to NY for work and hooked up with my friends Jere & Mary for a shoot in Battery Park. Jere dances for Rioult Dance Company and also works at the Joyce. Mary is a busy worker bee and has been delving into yoga pretty hard core!

Wednesday, I had the pleasure to work with Sara Rodriguez. Sara is a young dancer originally from NJ who is currently in the ballet program at the University of Utah with hopes of joining Ballet West’s training program.

My final shoot thus far was with Kira. Kira is a friend of Jane, our first model. Kira also has cancer. She approached me on Facebook shortly after I posted the first images of Jane. Aside from the reality of her situation and the project, she was just a delight to work with! She was a lot of fun and took direction well!

I am really happy I got the chance to work with these amazing artists and equally happy the bonds that were created as a result of this project. Exciting, huh?!! Currently, have a couple more scheduled and plenty of ideas and still looking for more dancers. Soon, you will also be reading some guest blogs from some of those involved in the project (other then me). Of course we will continue to bring you behind the scenes footage from the shoots. Below are some pics of me and the dancers from the project so far. At the very end is a special little treat!!

Enjoy!

Me & Jane

Me, Mindy, Jeanie, Erin & Laura

Mary, Me & Jere – Battery Park

Me & Kira

Newest behind the scenes video with Sara Rodriguez from University of Utah, Ballet Department:

Ballet Fleming’s Jane Koorts

I met Jane when I first started to work with Ballet Fleming. She is one of their dancers and is involved with their affiliate school, Philadelphia Ballet School.

As is the case with most co-workers, you become closer and get to know each more over time. Jane and I really hit it off. I would hang around the office while she was doing admin stuff and we’d just shoot the bull. Jane was very helpful in my planning my trip to London as she lived there for years. This was just another topic that we’d get excited to chat about.

In June, we had our dance for dreams gala. With the gala, there was a silent auction table. Jane was the winner of the custom made Black Swan tutu from Tutu.com. With this, she also got a free photo shoot. I had shot Jane in class, rehearsal and on stage but never any studio work, so I was really excited to work with her. She was also the second Ballet Fleming dancer to win a shoot with me which was nice.

We finally set a date to shoot and both were very excited. It had been a long time since she had done a shoot so she was excited for that as well. As we were leading up to the shoot, I approached her about participating in my Empowered ME project, which she was excited about. I was excited to get her in the studio to help me get out of a funk. I needed to get in the studio and be me. I needed to create amazing content. I needed to be inspired.

The shoot was amazing as I expected it would be. We chatted, we danced. Ok, well she danced. I LOVE the connection I have with my dancers. I love just chatting as we work. During the course of the shoot, we did about 4 wardrobes or so plus the cancer series. We also took a mini break and I filled her in on my London trip.

I had so much fun with Jane. We created some amazing images. We talked. We laughed. We even did some cool new self portraits of me. What I did not anticipate was how impactful and powerful the Empowered ME images we created would be. They really set the tone for the project.

Here are some teasers from our shoot. Enjoy!

Danseur Within

Well… I have finally decided upon a dance based book. Danseur Within will be done in the vain of barre boys in that it will tell the story of the male in ballet.

In order to help me get out and create more content, I have launched a kickstarter campaign. I have 60 days to raise $3,000. Both the men and women agree, this story is a much needed one to be told. There are not many periodicals, etc, that are dedicated to the male ballet dancer, so I am out to change that trend.

ANY pledge amount is welcome and appreciated. Rewards for pledges start at $10!

Please, please, do what you can to help this cause. I would greatly appreciate it!!!

The link below will take you to the Kickstarter page. Please pledge what you can. Thanks!!!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1892241516/danseur-within?ref=users

Free Print Give Away!!!!

Ok folks, so I am giving away a print of the image below. But… before I do that and discuss the details of the contest, let me first give some history of this image and its creation…

Story:
I had become friends with Jeff & Lia Cirio from Boston Ballet through Facebook. I actually wound up talking with their mother, Mimi, more then them. At that time, I was just finishing a photo series, Spirit of the Fallen, which paid tribute to the fallen officers of the Philadelphia Police Department. I had the idea of taking that same concept but on the road. So we eventually set up the shoot for me to come up to Boston and work with several of the dancers from Boston Ballet for the spin off project.

The shoots took place September 10-12. I recall watching some of the 9/11 tributes while in the lobby of the BB studios. So, during this weekend, I was to be working with Jeff & Lia Cirio, James Whiteside, Whitney Jensen, Kathleen Breen-Combes, all from Boston Ballet and Dylan G-Bowley who at the time was with Trey McIntyre.

Friday night, I did shoots with Jeff, James and Dylan for Barre Boys and Lia, just because. This is where I captured the infamous picture of James, below.

Saturday, I was set to work with all of the dancers, except Kathleen, for my winged series. She had other obligations for that day so we would work together on Sunday. We got some great shots. Here is a link to some behind the scenes footage. There are 4 videos posted on my Youtube account. Also below is a shot of me and the dancers.

Video:

Me, Jeff & Lia Cirio, Whitney Jensen and James Whiteside. Photo Credit: Dylan G-Bowley

So now, finishing the story and getting to the contest… I had a really great shoot with Kathleen. We did the Angels shoot on the rooftop of Boston Ballet, which made me nervous as hell. I do NOT do heights. We also shot on the street, just some fun artsy stuff but we first shot in one of the studios using just available light. With that setting, in a large open studio with all windows, her talent and grace plus a white skirt, we were bound to create amazing images and we did!

Here is a shot of her and I on the rooftop at the end of the shoot. I look barrel chested cause I was sucking in the gut lol. Wow, looking at it, I realize how OBVIOUS it is that I am sucking it in. Dear god.

THE CONTEST…

The contest is easy. Simply subscribe to my blog by entering your email address when you go to http://brianmengini.wordpress.com/. You will see the option on the right side up towards the top. That is it. Just subscribe to my blog and you are automatically entered to win!

One winner will be chosen at random, to win an 11×14 black and white print of that image featuring Boston Ballet principal dancer, Kathleen Breen Combes.

You MUST subscribe via email by NEXT FRIDAY, September 23rd to be eligible!!!

****YOU MUST CONFIRM SUBSCRIPTION IN ORDER TO QUALIFY!!!!****