At this year’s Victorian Dance Festival (VDF), Dance Informa partnered once again with photographer Leah Hoffa of Hoffa Studios to make dreams come true and search for our August/September cover star!
Hundreds of hopeful dancers flocked to Hoffa’s booth in the VDF Dance Market in Melbourne in May to have their photo taken and superimposed into a special VDF Edition Dance Informa cover.
The atmosphere was electric as each showcased their signature move on the blue screen captured expertly by Hoffa, who then inserted it into the cover before instantly sending them a copy to share and flex with friends and families. Social media was swamped all weekend with talented young dancers living the dream at Australia’s favourite dance festival and hoping to become our next cover star!
But it was Holly Fleming from NSW who caught the eye of Hoffa and VDF Director Deborah Searle. Her clean lines and striking pose earned her the prize of a professional portrait session at Hoffa Studios in Melbourne. Specialising in fine art photography, Hoffa’s style does not end with the shoot. She takes the raw photographs and creates images worthy of a frame – to be hung pride of place in the gallery of a dancer’s journey. With makeup, costume, props and post-production magic, the result is simply stunning. Hoffa’s warm rapport with dancers put Fleming instantly at ease during the fun day of shooting.
“My photoshoot with Hoffa Studios has to be my highlight of the year so far!” Fleming shares. “From the moment I walked into the door, the day was filled with positivity and excitement. We created the outfit around one of my favourite leotards, and Leah somehow encapsulated my style for the photoshoot without us pre-planning it! I got to experiment with movement and expression during the photoshoot which helped me feel so comfortable and respected as an artist. We clicked from the very beginning and immediately began collaborating together throughout the whole day to take some amazing shots! I was given the opportunity to help Leah bring her vision to life, whilst also having the chance to leave my own personal mark on the front cover. I’m so excited for people to see the art we created together!”
We asked Fleming all about her VDF weekend. “I’ve been attending VDF for the past three years, and it’s been an amazing experience!” she says. “I love being able to expand my connections within the dance industry and take classes outside of my typical styles with choreographers and teachers not only from across Australia but special guests overseas as well!”
Fleming continues, “My highlight for this year has to definitely be Trevor Santos’ hip hop/groove class. I haven’t taken a hip hop class for many years, and going into it I felt completely out of my element. But he made the atmosphere so positive from the very beginning, and I was able to let go and share some laughs with everybody in the room while we danced together.”
As a dancer from country NSW, Fleming has admirable goals for the future. “Outside of performing, I love to choreograph and I love to teach. I hope to one day open up my own dance school to provide an all-ages environment for recreational, competitive and full-time training. I grew up living rurally and was fortunate enough to have the financial support that allowed me to move to Sydney without my family in order to continue pursuing my passion to dance. I wish to one day bring those opportunities back to dancers living rurally, and to those who are less fortunate than I, to still receive quality dance coaching, as we all deserve healthy and supportive dance training, no matter our background.”
Fleming entered the competition at VDF knowing Dance Informa well. “I love using Dance Informa Directories for the Dance Auditions section,” she says. “As someone who has recently completed their full-time study, I find it extremely helpful that everything is all in the one place. It can definitely be an overwhelming feeling stepping out of full-time study and into professional work. Dance Informa helps me find new jobs and opportunities to research that I otherwise would’ve missed!”
Check out Holly Fleming on the cover of the August/September edition of Dance Informa Australia! And find out more about Fine Art Photoshoots and dance photography with Leah and Hoffa Studios at www.hoffastudios.com.
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