Sleeping Beauty Storybook

Photo shoot at George Washington Masonic Memorial

Over the years, I’ve done a variety of dance shoots in far-flung locales, from abandoned churches to photography studios to performance spaces to the rooftop of a theater 12 stories high. But the recent promo shoot for Metropolitan School of the Arts’ upcoming production of “Sleeping Beauty” was a first.

One Sunday last month, students, staff, and parent volunteers met at the George Washington National Masonic Memorial to produce a photographic storybook for the Metropolitan Youth Ballet production, which will be filmed and then made available for streaming on May 8-9. 

Over the course of eight hours, dancers were filmed in various locations at the Old Town Alexandria memorial, which opened in 1932 and has hosted a number of MSA/MYB events over the years. Last December’s socially distanced production of “The Nutcracker” was filmed there.

Using the storybook concept and moving off the stage allowed us to stretch artistically and not worry as much about the dancers’ form and technique. While Jackie Doherty, the show’s director, and I had scouted locations before the shoot, we were both flexible in terms of getting the best possible shots.

That flexibility came in handy when in one happy instance, I saw MSA alum Emma Meeks — whose dad Lee was helping with lighting for a couple of the set ups — taking photos of the dancers in the main entry way while they waited. The natural light was perfect and set the scene for several shots in this album. 

Tickets for the streaming of the show — no audience will be at the filming — go on sale on Tuesday at http://metropolitanarts.org. To see the photos from the show, go to my Facebook photography page — http://www.facebook.com/glenncookphotography.

Note: In all cases when the shots were not singles, the performers were masked and observing social distancing regulations.