From live performance to digital to still.
Steps Dance Studio in Manila, Philippines, produced a live performance called Waterfalls, directed by Sofia Elizalde and choreographed by Jun Saagundo. Later, Madge Reyes launched the Fifth Wall Dance Film Festival online, inviting dancers from around the globe to participate. Inspired by Waterfalls, she directed her own version—Elementos—filming Steps dancers perform in nature.
That one choreography evolved organically, inspiring different art forms that have each taken on a life of their own. I was invited to join the Elementos shoot to capture stills and bts footage. Through black and white images, I captured the power of the dancers’ movements and the raw connection between human energy and nature.
Through their foundation, Steps Dance Studio also supports emerging talent offering scholarships to gifted dancers who might not otherwise have the means to train professionally. To give back to these dancers, I designed six collages that blend my black and white stills with vibrant, colored images of the nature that surrounded us during those days. My goal is to donate a portion of every sale back to the foundation so Steps Dance Studio can also benefit from a project they helped create
