Deborah Ory & Ken Browar

Created by partners, Deborah Ory and Ken Browar, The NYC Dance Project grew from their shared love of beauty, style, and motion. From Deborah’s background as a modern dancer and Ken’s background as a fashion photographer, the two were able to fuse their experiences to create unique and beautiful portraits of New York’s dance community. The project is based in collaboration between the two photographers, who describe their working relationship as a “give and take” of inspiration, as well as between the photographers and their subjects. Ken and Deborah prepare each shoot as though it were its own dance production, working like choreographers to set the movement, lighting, and emotion of each shoot to reflect a quality of their subject.
 
We want to showcase and celebrate the artists as individuals so that our project becomes a diverse portrait of New York’s dance community. Even in photographs where the dancers wear costumes, we look for the human within the character they are playing. Our favorite moments are the simple ones: the breath the dancer takes after a jump, the quiet introverted moments often only seen backstage, or the second, mid-motion, when the dancer feels free. Our project is also a celebration of bodies. Dancers must simultaneously be artists and athletes, and we try to highlight both qualities of our subjects in the photographs. 
 
http://www.nycdanceproject.com