Posts Tagged ‘dancesport’

Viennese Waltz Professional Show – Tech Thursday

Photographing professional dancers on the floor is a privilege! Being an amateur ballroom dancer, I appreciate the work that is put into these shows. From a strictly technical standpoint, I admire the ease with which dancers can move so quickly across the floor together not missing a step especially with EVERYONE at the event watching. This is also a targeted audience – they all have an interest and knowledge in dancing, and many are colleagues and mentors that coach and cheer on each other.

Sheraton Tysons

This post focuses on the Viennese Waltz show performed by the Arthur Murray studio of Silver Spring, MD. There was someone that made a great video of the performance. At this time, I am following all of these with my eye to the viewfinder. Due to the nature of photography I miss parts of these because of the job I am there to do. I am grateful to those that take the time to create and post these so I can see them later. I can compare how the photos represent the same scene very differently. The photos create more dimension with lighting, and colors can be saturated with the flash. With the video, you see the movement of the dancers, the music echoing in the room, the audience reaction to the performance. Here are some of my favorites from the show along with the time markers on the video where the images were captured. Thanks to K Vidal for posting!

©TimeLine Media - Arthur Murray Silver Spring
0:12 on the video – Arthur Murray Silver Spring Viennese Waltz ©TimeLine Media
©TimeLine Media - Arthur Murray Silver Spring
1:35 on the video – Arthur Murray Silver Spring ©TimeLine Media
©TimeLine Media - Arthur Murray Silver Spring
2:41 on the video – Arthur Murray Silver Spring ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Arthur Murray Gaithersburg – Professional Show

©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD

Another beautiful professional show on the blog today. This time, a Viennese Waltz by the Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD studio. the Viennese Waltz is one of the most challenging dances involving speed and precision with the footwork while keeping everything smooth and flowing across the floor. It is an awesome dance to photograph when done by experienced dancers. In this performance, the dancers moved easily and added some holds with beautiful lines towards the audience.

©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media – Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD

The strength to life the lady off the floor – make it look effortless, and for her to make it look like she is floating effortlessly adds to the mood of this dance. It changes from patterns on the floor to more of a story told in movement.

©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media – Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD

It may seem lucky that I catch the dancers with the best angle for these lines, but it is on purpose that find myself there. I try to be in the best spot to capture performances. Professionals are mindful of the audience position so I try to stay straight along the longest side of the floor. From many previous shows, I have seen how I have missed so many opportunities just by having my camera along the wrong side. I can still make images, but they do not have the same impact. The background are messier, and many times, I can only get one half of the couple on the floor if they are not lined up to me correctly. Now, I use this as a guide to set my lights and camera in the best position to get these! A little pre-planning goes a long way.

©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media – Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media - Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD
©TimeLine Media – Viennese Waltz by Arthur Murray Gaithersburg, MD

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

DC Dance Challenge – Venue

©TimeLIne Media - Atrium Ballroom as a ballroom dance venue

We are back from photographing the DC Dance Challenge yesterday. It was an amazing feat by the organizers to find a new venue to hold the event in only 3 days! With the continuing government shutdown, the originally planned venue of the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo was not available for use. Jennifer and Fabio quickly acted to keep the event on schedule as planned, and they pulled it off perfectly! The Atrium Ballroom in the Ronald Reagan Building was an amazing space to hold this ballroom dance event.

©TimeLIne Media - Atrium Ballroom as a ballroom dance venue
©TimeLIne Media – Atrium Ballroom as a ballroom dance venue

I made lots of photos of the setting, the food, and the setup which works really well for these types of events. There was a ante-room before entering the ballroom which was setup as a practice floor and vendor area. We setup our booth there so that dancers could view their photos on iPads just outside the ballroom.

©TimeLIne Media - Atrium Ballroom as a ballroom dance venue
©TimeLIne Media – Atrium Ballroom as a ballroom dance venue

The full Dance Jam Productions floor was really liked by dancers. We see their work at a number of dancesport competitions, and this was no exception. The building also has a catering department which provided lunch and dinner for attendees in the ballroom. This was very convenient, and made the event run more smoothly. I will post more from the event, but I have to get back to editing the dancing photos for viewing this weekend!

©TimeLIne Media - Atrium Ballroom as a ballroom dance venue
©TimeLIne Media – Atrium Ballroom as a ballroom dance venue

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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