the art of pole dancing 

model + stylist + Make up: Hope antonelli

creative directed and shot by maia feruzi

Monday December 18th 2023 9:00am

📍Allston, MA

shot on: canon eos rebel t3i 18-24mm 70-300mm

concept

Hope is a self taught pole dancer who finds power and healing in the practice. They often post videos of themselves practicing on social media, to one of those stories I replied that I would love to shoot them dancing one day and they were completely open to the idea. And thus another shoot was born. I offered some gentle styling suggestions in the way of flowy fabrics and lace accents but they created the outfit essentially on their own. I had no real plans for how to shoot them besides a request to do early morning in order to capture that soft rising sun glow. Thankfully the weather was awful that day and the overcast lighting was absolutely perfect for my needs. Hope offered to set up some candles and other sources of lighting in the way of colored led lights and I was all for it. The main mission was to capture both their beauty and grace as well as the strength and movement required in pole dancing. Sultry and sensual but also dark and whimsical.

Capturing movement proved to be a slight challenge as by the time my shutter clicked they were already in a different position. This required Hope to move even slower which required more strength and control but also keeping their face serene to give the appearance of effortlessness, like that of a ballet. I commend them for being able to achieve that whilst hovering over an open flame. With all the different sources of light we were able to create two different storylines. A dark fairy creature(as is the theme when working with Hope) performing a seductive dance in their home as well as a slightly crazed night circus performance. I thoroughly enjoyed creating both moods.