Queen Of The Dance
The Queen Of The Dance is a mystical creature who glides through a cloud of excitement , sprinkling glitter and dust on each path she takes. Sometimes the Queen walks by unnoticed , her guise of mystery palpable. She stretches her limbs and resumes her duties for the show must go on as The Queen Of The Dance. That Queen Of The Dance is me and I am here to take my applause.
From the age of 10 until the age of sixteen I was part of Stagecoach a singing, acting and dancing school which offered me many opportunities. Stagecoach helped improve my self-confidence and allow me to believe in my ability to take life by the horns no matter what life threw me. My foster mum saw me in a Year Six school play where I played the lead role in Ali-Baba and realized that I had a raw talent waiting to be explored . Thus Stagecoach lessons were born , every Saturday I would throw off the shackles of my mundane life and step into my second life. Stagecoach allowed me to perform in theaters including Her Majesty's Theatre and have the lead role as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I always ranked my capabilities in order : Acting, Singing and Dancing last. I had the traits of a dancer but would find choreographed routines harder to follow. I know why too, dance should be inhibited, a personal expression of your own identity and to me choreographed dance is not true to who I am as a person . It is only when I reached University that I realized I was actually a pretty decent dancer, not the best mark my words but my freestyle was pretty sweet. I would describe my dance as an eclectic blend of Beyonce/hip-hop ball room. Essentially my hips pop and lock like my bae Beyonce - although nowhere near as good so don't get your hopes up- , my arms dance to the rhythm of a salsa band and my legs either cut shapes or pirouette and twirl. A rather strange blend that is for sure but somehow it works in my favor.
Drawing on my experiences as a dancer I wanted to combine the theatricality of the theatre with the elegance of Contemporary Dance, as I wafted through each frame ( hopefully not looking like an idiot!). The purpose of this ballet-inspired shoot was to combine a modern-casual look with the element of dance i.e. elegant lean shapes with outstretched arms and pointed toes. To create a modern ballerina look I took a normal outfit and used ballet-inspired heels to accentuate the definition of the shots I was taking .When creating a photoshoot it is important that your ideas translate well onto the bigger screen and there were many photos that I had to delete because of its poor translation onto screen. Do not let this put you off;never be afraid to try out your ideas no matter how 'ridiculous'. Fashion is not about being perfect but accepting your flaws and using them as a weapon against social conformity.
I represent difference, I am not your typical Californian blonde with big blue eyes, curvy figure and flawless sunkissed skin. Instead I am short but gangly, slim and flat chested, with a crooked nose, teeth small brown eyes and oily skin. I am no way near perfect and it took me a long time to accept my flaws and harness them into a more positive medium. Even now my reflection disgusts me, but I realize now that it is ok to be different. For so long I was taught that I embodied the 'ugly friend' the hanger on of the famously 'pretty girl'. It made me wish that I looked different, I would never(at least not at this moment in time) resort to surgery but I still couldn't help wishing that I was a different person. Then I realized that beauty is not everything, having the talent, the ambition to succeed and the ability to connect with like-minded individuals is far more important than your aesthetic appeal. With age beauty fades and if you do not have any other assets then you are far worse off than the 'ugly friend'
With that in mind I wanted my shoot to embrace difference and create a correlation between my fierce ambition and the elegance of my own personal identity. For this look I teamed my favourite black waistcoat with my adored jewel necklace (both from Zara) , with a duck egg blue 90's scoop vest from Miss Selfridge, my In The Style Lauren Pope Shorts and these dainty lace-up beauties from you guessed it Zara. The unique contrast between the modern casual i.e. the sleeveless trench vs. the dainty elegance of a ballerina is a niche concept that remains underexplored in the fashion industry. It's all about finding your niche and owning it.
Of course how could I forget about that gorgeous specimen of a bag? The baby blue chain beauty is from Primark and is both versatile and easy to style. As I was going for a pastel look this bag was perfect. My favourite component of this outfit was the shoes. Surprisingly comfortable the intricate lace-up detailing was made even more breathtaking by the stunning turquoise/baby-blue colour and allowed me to go on my tippy-toes .
What I adore about the look I created is how it represents individual aspects of my personal identity. The monochrome 'chessboard' shorts is a reference to switching between dual identities. From caring to ruthless my identity can change in seconds . The white represents my need to care for others while the black shows that I will do anything to achieve my dreams. The 'baby blue' hue is somewhere in between , it represents my need to be at peace while the statement necklace and shoes represents the theatricality of my dance style.
I would describe my photoshoot as a cross between dance and theatre , with the movement mimicking the artistic medium of dance and the longing or hardness of expression as an imitation of theatre. Each photo showcases a different emotion; in the one below I am 'Voguing' a term commonly used in the 90's modelling industry and involves dramatic body shapes with a fierce or often suprised expression.
I wanted to create dramatic photos that would contrast against the mundane day-life environment and bring something new to the blogging industry. By creating props i.e. the hair twist as pictured below you can put your own personal spin on photos. Do not be afraid to take risks and let the theatricality of dance consume you!
I would even use pavements, as the bemused mid day strollers passed me by and gave me looks. I learnt to shut it out and channeled my heart and soul into creating the perfect theatrical photo-shoot. You may call it a little avante-garde but it works for the theme that I am trying to convey.
I hope you enjoyed reading 'Queen Of The Dance' a rambling account of my love for dance, my adoration of blue and my determination to accept my own flaws.
Much Love Springbots xox
Photography-Tamana Khanom
Shoes-Zara
Shorts-In The Style Lauren Pope
Vest- Miss Selfridge
Necklace- Zara
Waistcoat- Zara
Bag- Primark