Before I met Linda Eve and the Nao Collective, I had a different viewpoint of what dance was. The typical stereotype of a choreographed art form that was usually found accompanying musical theater or a some pop star. However these false perceptions quickly vanished upon discovering Nao collective. Yes it was a dance troupe but unlike most it focuses strictly on improvisation. Linda encourages dancers to express them selves with the entire body. Since each dancer is dancing upon instinct the interactions can be chaotic and beautiful just like life itself. She brings out the best in each dancer and challenges them to push themselves further.
While both members of the DIAMOND DOLLS aren't currently located in Florida, They were formed here and that counts in my book. The dolls were and are on the edge of dance pop, not directly in the heart but on the outskirts of it near the dark side of town. Their music makes a person dance and think so you could say that it is the perfect full body work out. The dolls are fronted by Ricky Diamond who was once associated with more humorous music wanted to strip from that image and evolve, he me Dan Roney and it was musical magic. Together they have quite the stage presence, Ricky with his amazing dances and Dan with his classically trained concentration. I was lucky enough to see them preform for the first time at my Mykebration several years back and I was stunned by their stage presence. While they aren't currently here their music can be found on line, one listen is all it takes to fall in love with the Diamond Dolls!
I only got the chance to work with Meg Schutz once but the above photo shoot was so much fun and so laid back that it truly became a memorable experience for me. While there are a lot of photographers here in Orlando, not everyone takes the same kind of picture, each photograph is unique to that photographer and nothing is truer then with Meg's photos. She loves color and typically her pictures are vibrant and playful. Even with my dark subject matter that I wanted for my picture she managed to make it lighthearted. I'm glad that I got to be a subject of one of her photo shoots before she leaves us, Orlando will truly miss Meg Schutz.
