Fearless Dancers Bare All And Pose On New York City Rooftops
For his latest series, master of dance photography Omar Z. Robles decided to shoot his subjects completely naked on New York City rooftops.
Kate Winslet
Titled Bare Sky Dance, each image captures the nude ballet dancersâ sculpted bodies as they contrast against the gray, structured NYC cityscape.
The dancers strike powerful poses, highlighting their beauty and confidence in that moment.
From the bustling streets of Hong Kong to the vibrant avenues of Rio de Janeiro, master of dance photography Omar Z. Robles has traveled the world, capturing local ballet dancers as they pose and plié through urban environments. For his latest series, Bare Sky Dance, Robles literally takes his photos to the next level by shooting his subjects on New York City rooftops. Other than taking to high vantage points, Robles also asked the dancers to pose nude, celebrating the human form and revealing their vulnerable side.
Robles explains, âAs a photographer I am drawn to photograph the naked form for the same reason artists throughout millennia have been drawn to it. Because it is beautiful and expressive. The simplest, purest and most eloquent form of our humanity.â The stunning series captures the dancersâ sculpted bodies as they contrast against the gray, structured NYC cityscape. Taking a different approach to his previous projects, Robles decided to ask the dancers why they chose to be photographed naked. He tells My Modern Met in an email, âI wanted to switch the tables and let the dancers be not only the images but also the voices behind their photographs.â
Eva Green
Each photo was published alongside the subjectsâ individual stories and experiences, giving an intimate view into their worlds. One dancer, Brittany Cavaco, bravely reveals that she had previously been a victim of sexual assault, and that the incident has made her extremely body conscious. However, after shooting for the Bare Sky Dance series she says, âThe day we happened to shoot on was cold and rainy, not the typical day one feels inspired to dance on a rooftop naked. Nevertheless standing on the rooftop, my body exposed to the world, I no longer felt self-conscious, ashamed and vulnerable, I felt free and proud.â
Another dancer from the series, Cassandra Orefice, said, âFor me posing for Omarâs new series was a celebration in the freedom that dance has given me. The freedom to be proud of my art and the body that helps me do it.â Sheâalong with all of the other dancersâstrike powerful poses, highlighting their beauty and confidence in that moment. Robles explains, âThe dancers were able to bare not only their bodies but also their souls over the NYC skies.â
You can see and read more from the Bare Sky Dance series on Roblesâs blog.
Brittany Cavaco
Nevertheless standing on the rooftop, my body exposed to the world, I no longer felt self conscious, ashamed and vulnerable, I felt free and proud. When looking at the images I instinctively wanted to pick apart and critique every part of my body but the freeing feeling I felt on that rooftop brought me back down to reality. These images showed how incredible the human body truly is. The fact that I am able to dance and stand on my toes and put my body through such immense stress day after day is amazing. It hasnât been an easy road but it is so good to feel proud of my perfectly imperfect body.â
Jacline Henrichs
These are three mantras I repeat to myself day in and day out to survive the hustle and bustle of NYC. Without them, I donât think I would have survived this long in a metropolis that is well known for its competitiveness. In order to make it here, you have to be one thing and one thing only; FEARLESS.
Guess Who?
After almost a yearâs hiatus from the camera, Omar invited me to be a part of his #Bareskydance series. I hesitated to agree because I was coming out of a break-up, and the vulnerability I was feeling left me no desire to be in front of a camera.
When I met again with Omar, he didnât know it, but I was feeling the lowest I had ever felt. I felt raw and open and exposed on the inside. But I knew in my gut that it was important to take charge of my confidence, and one step toward doing that was to put myself back in front of the camera, nude.
In the nude and visible on a New York City rooftop, that openness and rawness was now exposed on the outside as well. â
Alberte Nilausen
I have worked with Omar several times, in fact he was the first photographer I worked with in New York, and I lay all my trust to his ideas and visions. Shooting dancers he always manage to capture the vulnerable moments with an eye for well thought composition and light.
Guess Who?
We had the shoot an unusually cold summer Sunday morning in Brooklyn, it was raining and the sky grey. The weather and the hard rain came in play of how the pictures turned out: dramatic and sensitive. I was completely soaked and my pointe shoes too but that all disappeared while I was in front of the camera lens.
The city has so much magic and in this series Omar takes it to the rooftops which is a big part of New York characteristics. This shoot was also extra special for me because it was the day I moved back to Europe after 6 years in the city. I felt like the city was crying and #BareSkyDance wrapped up my time in New York coming here hungry with big dreams. The series has emotions and its celebrates the dancer on top of New York city in an astonishing way.â
Alexandra Jacob
Guess Who?
When agreeing to taking part in this project, I was allowing myself be a part of a more vulnerable type of shoot. I consented to working with Omar (who I have gained trust collaborating with for three years), I consented to baring my form unclothed, and I consented to shoot in a more private roof setting. The essential key is that I made a personal choice; I gave it my approval and not someone elseâs. This project was incredibly liberating in a sense that like being on stage, I was able to shed my outer layers and uncover the freedom of self-worth.â
Cassandra Orefice
Taylor Massa
Guess Who?
Silken Kelly
Guess Who?
Karina TerĂĄn
As a dancer, to see drastic changes in your body and to embrace them with happiness is something that you donât imagine until the moment you live the amazing journey of motherhood, and you realize then that the idea of esthetics and beauty about your body can go beyond the thin long lines we -dancers- always look for. The gift of giving life to a new human, the love of expecting a baby and the feeling of that connection is something that can not be described with words. It becomes a challenge to discover this ânew youâ who looks different but who also feels powerful at the same time, with a different type of strength that you didnât know could exist in you.
Guess Who?
A dancer is so used to lightness, speed and elasticity⊠and the absence of these common qualities make you see deeper into this new beauty, this new YOU with curve lines, heavier, slower but with the wonderful blessing of carrying a life inside.
I accepted to be part of the #BareSkyDance Series, to honor the miracle of maternity and my love for dance. I believe every strong woman out there who has experienced the glorious time of pregnancy, regardless her shape, it has so much beauty to share with the world. Pregnancy should always be enjoyed, celebrated and we all women should love our bodies more than ever. I embrace this memorable journey with happiness! When my arabesques arenât as high as before, when my balance is in a different place, when I canât show any abdominal muscles and in exchange I show a big and rounded baby bump that I will remember forever, in the most natural and artistic way these pictures have captured at my 32 weeks of pregnancy. Thank you Omar for a wonderful work!â
Stephanie Chisholm
âWhat a beautiful concept Bare Sky Dance! To be fully naked, vulnerable, open is, in my opinion, the most dangerous thing a person can do and also the most beautiful. I chose to shoot with Omar because his photography, especially this series, captures that essence. It is a beautiful experience to be fully naked and vulnerable, embracing the beauty of the natural state, yet surrounded by the city chaos of New York. The juxtaposition of these two things intrigued me and I think rooftops are the perfect location to capture the raw beauty of both; a view of the city from above the chaos where natural beauty can come to life.â
Visit all galleries and order prints here: https://www.omarzrobles.com/Prints/BareSkyDance-Series
And you know who is this … Bushy Beauty.