As a member of the Juilliard Dance Class of 2016, I had the privilege of interviewing Nir Arieli for the blog, who is the photographer for our soon to be released calendar. Our calendar shoot with Nir was inspiring. He encouraged us to be creative in the movement that we brought to the table. He was simultaneously open to our ideas and , very clear with his directions. Because Nir is so knowledgeable about the dance world, he drew upon that knowledge to communicate with us about body shape and awareness. During the shoot, we were all artists and there seemed to be no distinct difference between photographer and dancer, because as artists, the same tools and concepts were being shared. As I got to know his story and his pursuits, he continued to inspire me beyond what I experienced from the photo shoot.
Taylor: Where are you from and what brought you to New York City?
Nir: I was born and raised in Israel, but I came to New York City to pursue a BFA in photography at the School of Visual Arts.
Taylor: How and when did you become interested in photography?
Nir: Being an Israeli born man, I was mandated to serve in the military for 3 years. Fortunately, my job in the military was to photograph the assignments and men around me, in order to document what was happening. I started to learn a lot about how to photograph well, and also what kind of subjects I liked to photograph best. I found that photographing the men in situations that made them appear fragile and sensitive showed that they were young 18-year-old men with emotions, instead of uniform soldiers. My growth of knowledge and passion grew for photography through my experience in the military.
Taylor: What is your favorite subject to photograph and why?
Nir: I do love working with dancers, specifically because they are such great communicators. I am not interested in working with a subject who cannot communicate.
Taylor: I understand that you work with dancers quite frequently. How did you get involved in the dance industry? Is there any specific reason why you continue to work with dancers?
Nir: It all started when I first came to New York City to go to school, while my cousin was in the dance division at Juilliard. I always needed models, so I began to ask my cousin’s friends if they would help me out with my projects for school. So I have always been connected to Juilliard from the beginning of my time in New York. I continue to work with dancers because they are perfect photographic subjects: dancers are in a constant pursuit, always striving for being better. Dancers have individualism and creativity, which brings a complex process for both parties. I think complexity is the key to a successful and interesting photograph. I see a lot of dance photography that looks like the dancer is a movement technician. I personally do not appreciate that kind of work because I believe that the photographer missed the complexity of the dancer.
Taylor: Do you think your photographs share a common aesthetic? Would you say that you have a preferred style of photographing? If so, what is that style?
Nir: I have a method to working, not necessarily a style. I like to work as a sculptor, breaking the body into parts and moving each area into the right spot to create an awkward, almost alien-like shape. I gather a lot of inspiration from my favorite choreographer, Sharon Eyal, who used to choreograph for Batsheva. I feel like the dancers at Juilliard work intelligently and really understand contemporary dance, which is why I love working with them so much. I am also constantly drawn towards a color scheme, which shows in my work: desaturated palettes, with lots of muted, skin tone colors.
Taylor: What were some of the difficulties and highlights of working with The Juilliard dance class of 2016?
Nir: There were a couple challenges we had to overcome from the fact that we were shooting in one of the dance studios, which was such a blank canvas, yet we wanted a very specific, complex background. The class originally told me that they wanted to play with the idea of foreground and background, with lots of raw material and different textures. But because we decided to shoot in the studio, we had to create that kind of space ourselves with materials and bodies. To achieve the aesthetic that the class originally requested, we found ourselves using the bodies a lot to bring motion into the picture. This was a difficult technique because capturing fast motion is more about quick random movements, so it is difficult to plan out. It was also challenging to shoot so many good images in a short amount of time. We had one day to shoot at least 12 different concepts, but we ended up shooting more like 30 concepts to give all the dancers options to choose from. There were so many highlights about this project though. As I mentioned before, Juilliard has a special place in my heart so I was honored that the 2016 dance class asked me to photograph such an important event. The dancers brought so much to the table, constantly offering ideas and solutions, which kept a great line of communication going between us. They were also very supportive of each other and of me. There was a lot of positivity and trust in the room.
Taylor: Whether photography is involved or not, do you have any dreams and/or goals for your future?
Nir: I do not really pursue certain goals; I just constantly strive for better. One thing I always try to maintain is time, energy, and inspiration for personal work. I enjoy doing commercial work of course, but I hope that does not interfere with my passion and desire to produce work for myself. I think that is the dream for any artist. I really love the people that I am working with and I hope to continue working with them in the future. For right now though, the opportunities I have experienced
and the amount of people who are supporting me is beyond what I have ever dreamed of and I am just so grateful.
*To learn more about Nir Arieli, please visit his website: http://www.nirarieli.com
*The Juilliard Dance Class of 2016 calendar will be released early January. The calendars will be available for purchase at The Juilliard Store, in the lobby during New Dances performances, and online through our Senior Production website.
Written by: Taylor Johnson
Taylor: Where are you from and what brought you to New York City?
Nir: I was born and raised in Israel, but I came to New York City to pursue a BFA in photography at the School of Visual Arts.
Taylor: How and when did you become interested in photography?
Nir: Being an Israeli born man, I was mandated to serve in the military for 3 years. Fortunately, my job in the military was to photograph the assignments and men around me, in order to document what was happening. I started to learn a lot about how to photograph well, and also what kind of subjects I liked to photograph best. I found that photographing the men in situations that made them appear fragile and sensitive showed that they were young 18-year-old men with emotions, instead of uniform soldiers. My growth of knowledge and passion grew for photography through my experience in the military.
Taylor: What is your favorite subject to photograph and why?
Nir: I do love working with dancers, specifically because they are such great communicators. I am not interested in working with a subject who cannot communicate.
Taylor: I understand that you work with dancers quite frequently. How did you get involved in the dance industry? Is there any specific reason why you continue to work with dancers?
Nir: It all started when I first came to New York City to go to school, while my cousin was in the dance division at Juilliard. I always needed models, so I began to ask my cousin’s friends if they would help me out with my projects for school. So I have always been connected to Juilliard from the beginning of my time in New York. I continue to work with dancers because they are perfect photographic subjects: dancers are in a constant pursuit, always striving for being better. Dancers have individualism and creativity, which brings a complex process for both parties. I think complexity is the key to a successful and interesting photograph. I see a lot of dance photography that looks like the dancer is a movement technician. I personally do not appreciate that kind of work because I believe that the photographer missed the complexity of the dancer.
Taylor: Do you think your photographs share a common aesthetic? Would you say that you have a preferred style of photographing? If so, what is that style?
Nir: I have a method to working, not necessarily a style. I like to work as a sculptor, breaking the body into parts and moving each area into the right spot to create an awkward, almost alien-like shape. I gather a lot of inspiration from my favorite choreographer, Sharon Eyal, who used to choreograph for Batsheva. I feel like the dancers at Juilliard work intelligently and really understand contemporary dance, which is why I love working with them so much. I am also constantly drawn towards a color scheme, which shows in my work: desaturated palettes, with lots of muted, skin tone colors.
Taylor: What were some of the difficulties and highlights of working with The Juilliard dance class of 2016?
Nir: There were a couple challenges we had to overcome from the fact that we were shooting in one of the dance studios, which was such a blank canvas, yet we wanted a very specific, complex background. The class originally told me that they wanted to play with the idea of foreground and background, with lots of raw material and different textures. But because we decided to shoot in the studio, we had to create that kind of space ourselves with materials and bodies. To achieve the aesthetic that the class originally requested, we found ourselves using the bodies a lot to bring motion into the picture. This was a difficult technique because capturing fast motion is more about quick random movements, so it is difficult to plan out. It was also challenging to shoot so many good images in a short amount of time. We had one day to shoot at least 12 different concepts, but we ended up shooting more like 30 concepts to give all the dancers options to choose from. There were so many highlights about this project though. As I mentioned before, Juilliard has a special place in my heart so I was honored that the 2016 dance class asked me to photograph such an important event. The dancers brought so much to the table, constantly offering ideas and solutions, which kept a great line of communication going between us. They were also very supportive of each other and of me. There was a lot of positivity and trust in the room.
Taylor: Whether photography is involved or not, do you have any dreams and/or goals for your future?
Nir: I do not really pursue certain goals; I just constantly strive for better. One thing I always try to maintain is time, energy, and inspiration for personal work. I enjoy doing commercial work of course, but I hope that does not interfere with my passion and desire to produce work for myself. I think that is the dream for any artist. I really love the people that I am working with and I hope to continue working with them in the future. For right now though, the opportunities I have experienced
and the amount of people who are supporting me is beyond what I have ever dreamed of and I am just so grateful.
*To learn more about Nir Arieli, please visit his website: http://www.nirarieli.com
*The Juilliard Dance Class of 2016 calendar will be released early January. The calendars will be available for purchase at The Juilliard Store, in the lobby during New Dances performances, and online through our Senior Production website.
Written by: Taylor Johnson