Dancers in studio photo shoot: Vanja Kolanovič
Tuesday, 12/04/2022
I’ve been photographing dance performances for over a decade now, completely fascinated by the easiness and effortlessness of their amazing moves. I’ve been wanting for some time now to photograph them in a photo studio, in a more controlled environment, where we would together, in collaboration, make something photo worthy :)
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Vanja Kolanovič
Since I started working in my small photo studio in Maribor in late 2018, I’ve photographed few dancers there which was a very enjoyable and fulfilling experience. Though this photoshoots didn’t include jumps which I really wanted to capture - and I already had a great dancer in mind to test my small studio for that :)
Vanja Kolanovič is an amazing dancer and dance teacher which I photographed performing many time before, and one thing I loved and remembered about her performances was these graceful and skilled jumps, high, high in the air! So, Vanja was my obvious first choice. I wasn’t really sure if we were going to be able to do that in that small space, but we definitely wanted to try. As we were arranging the date and necessary preparations, unimaginable happened - the whole world stopped due to Covid-19 pandemic. Vanja, a student of medicine, was even more busy than the rest of us, since they were helping the medical stuff in hospitals in Slovenia, so our long awaiting photoshoot had to be postponed for some better times…
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Vanja Kolanovič
During that period, a great thing happened - I’ve moved to a bigger space so my new photo studio, although not as big as I would want it to be, was a much better space for Vanja & me to photograph her dance. So, last year when the temperatures went up and the situation concerning pandemic got much better, we finally did what we planed for so long :)
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Vanja Kolanovič
And, as it is obvious from this story, it took me way too long to post-process and publish this photos, but it seems that the good things do come to the ones who wait :)
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Vanja Kolanovič Photo: © Saša Huzjak
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Vanja Kolanovič Photo: © Saša Huzjak
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Vanja Kolanovič Photo: © Saša Huzjak
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Vanja Kolanovič Photo: © Saša Huzjak
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Jasha Robnik
Friday, 13/01/2023
Last year I had the privilege to work with another very talented young dancer (and dance teacher) Jasha Robnik!
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Edita Čerče (49,90 project)
Wednesday, 23/11/2022
2023 calendar photoshoot
Shooting Edita for a 2023 calendar was surely one of the longest, but also a photoshoot filled with many, many loud laughs that I had in years! :)
Pot (Path)
Odprta plesna scena, Maribor (Slovenia), 21/06/2022
31. Odprta plesna scena (31st Open Dance Scene)
Choreographed by internationally renowned choreographer Mojca Ussar, this great performance was a pure joy to photograph!
Pandora TV - Pandorina skrinjica 2022
Narodni dom Maribor, Dvorana generala Maistra, Maribor (Slovenia), 21/05/2022
I’m always flabbergasted by the easiness and grace dancers perform their acts, maybe even more when it comes to the pole dancers. Simply amazing! :)
Dancers in studio photo shoot: Lucija Jalincienė
Tuesday, 19/04/2022
Continuing with photographing dancers in my photo studio in Maribor, my next dancer was amazing Lucija Jalincienė, another dancer that I photographed performing many, many times in the past.
Plesni utripi 1&2
Lutkovno gledališče Maribor, Maribor (Slovenia), 22/03 > 23/03/2022
"Plesni utripi" featured dance schools and groups from Maribor region and it was divided into two nights - some amazing performances there, I really enjoyed it photographing!
37. Zimska plesna šola / 37th Winter dance school
Zimska plesna šola / Winter dance school, Maribor (Slovenia), 25/02 > 28/02/2022
My 8th Winter dance school in a row, but this time in a way different.
Mojca pole dance calendar photo shoot
Wednesday, 01/12/2021
I was contacted recently by Mojca, a pole dance student of Pandora - Art of Pole pole dance school, with a very specific request - she wanted to do a photoshoot of herself doing pole dance poses for a calendar. Needless to say, the challenge sounded to good to be true so I jumped at the idea immediately :)
Kup kuncev (400 rabbits)
Odprta plesna scena, Maribor (Slovenia), 24/06/2021
30. Odprta plesna scena (30th Open Dance Scene)
Third and the last day of the annual 30. Odprta plesna scena (30th Open dance scene) festival brought the dynamic duo of Marina Abib and Beno Novak with their performance "Kup kuncev" (400 rabbits) which was a pure joy to photograph :)
Izbine pripovedke za male - letna plesna produkcija Plesne Izbe Maribor
Lutkovno gledališče Maribor, Maribor (Slovenia), 17/06/2015
First part (out of three!) of the summer production of Plesna Izba Maribor featuring their youngest dancers!
Mično pomično 2015 - Gathering of belly dance groups in Maribor
Dom kulture Pekre, Pekre (Slovenia), 05/06/2015
Besides live music and festivals, dance is probably my favourite subject to photograph, so when I got a chance to shoot gathering of local belly dance groups last week, I was immediately on board! :)
30. Zimska plesna šola / 30th Winter dance school
Zimska plesna šola / Winter dance school, Maribor (Slovenia), 20/02 > 23/02/2015
Last weekend, I've been very privileged to photograph amazing young dancers from whole Slovenia (plus some foreign guests) with their amazing mentors, during the 30th Winter dance school (30. Zimska plesna šola). Such passion and talent in one place - simply, for a lack of better word, amazing!
Book (p)review: Jordan Matter: Dancers among us - A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday
Monday, 16/02/2015
Workman Publishing, 2012
New York Times bestseller that I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in dance and/or dance photography!
Zima se mi rima - zimska plesna produkcija Plesne Izbe Maribor
Dvorana Union, Maribor (Slovenia), 31/01/2015
Plesna izba Maribor's annual winter dance show production
Continuing our great collaboration with Maribor’s well know dance school & dance company Plesna Izba Maribor, I documented another annual winter show production of the most of their different classes - from small kids to jazz and modern/contemporary dancers!
Moment - Monja & Domen - the dancing couple, a quick photo shoot
Monday, 22/12/2014
Monja Lorenčič and Domen Žugelj, known also under their artistic name Moment, are two great, young and very talented dancers from Slovenia that needed some fresh pics for their portfolio - I was very honoured to work with them on a quick photo shoot last month and am sure will do this again, since all three of us had a great time :)
Festival Lent 2014: (Contemporary) dance + children theatre
Festival Lent, Maribor (Slovenia), 20/06 > 05/07/2014
During this 16 days of Festival Lent, I also shoot some (contemporary) dance performances and theatre for children - find some of those images in this gallery :)
Movie (p)review - Ride, Rise, Roar
Tuesday, 30/04/2013
Hillman Curtis, 2010
Concert documentary showing performances and behind the stage shots from the David Byrne's "The Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno" tour, including not just musicians but some modern dancers too. For all fans of David Byrne, Talking Heads and the ones that like the good mix of modern dance with pop music!
Premik v Maribor / Move to Maribor
Premik v Maribor / Move to Maribor, Maribor (Slovenia), 20/09 > 30/09/2012
Contemporary dance festival
Ten days contemporary dance festival called "Premik v Maribor / Move to Maribor" in, well, Maribor! :)
The Moving Gallery - group photography exhibition plus contemporary dance
Thursday, 30/08/2012
Murska Sobota, August 31st and September 1st 2012
Some of the photos that I took at the recent dance photography workshop with Chris Nash, along with the ones from my fellow photographers, will be shown as part of The Moving Gallery project in the next two days, as part of Front@, contemporary dance festival.
Impressions from Dance Photography Workshop with Chris Nash
Thursday, 30/08/2012
Great photography workshop with one of the worlds leading dance photographers
Two days photography workshop with great energy and fun!