AMANDA BALEN AND MARK KANEMURA When Dance Magazine contacted me in 2012 to photograph Lady Gaga’s backup dancers, Amanda Balen and Mark Kanemura, I suggested we do it right here in the Valley. Not only did the dancers live in North Hollywood, I knew of a perfect location that would have the industrial look that the magazine’s art director was after. Our shoot took place inside my husband’s company, Business Machines Consultants. With a bit of imagination, we transformed its warehouse into a streamlined commercial photo studio. Amanda and Mark, both extraordinarily well-trained commercial dancers whose credits include So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Got Talent, La La Land and live shows for Janet Jackson, Celine Dion and Carrie Underwood, pulled out a number of moves and jumps, giving me the opportunity to capture their amazing talents.
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VENTURA BLVD | NOVEMBER 2017