Kent Barker

is a Principal dancer with . She is a dancer, a choreographer and an artist. Definitely multi talented. Corps de Ballet dancer is from Argentina and came to the U.S. to train with Houston Ballet at age 14. Pretty amazing!! Love this image of the two of them.  

.vonenck is a Principal dancer with in Fort Worth. She is in her 13th season with the company and is married to fellow company member . What I love about this image is that it is an absolutely perfect rendition of this jump. Her technique and expression are both ideal. Bravo Nicole…and thank you!

company members .b and were both part of an amazing Gala performance that took place on Saturday. This image is from an earlier session that we had together. As I sometimes say in the posts…do not try this at home.

I have been hard at work tweaking my primary website of late and that has kept me in front of the computer and not in the studio. In light of that, I am re-running some of my favorite images from the past couple years. This photograph of company member is without a doubt one of my favorites. I saw this costume in a performance and asked her to bring it. The company would not allow her take the actual costume (which is red) but did let her sneak out with the rehearsal costume (which as you can see, is white). It was too heavy to use a fan, so she had to literally throw it in the air to get this to happen. It took us quite a while to figure out how hard to throw it, what direction, etc. It was hard work and many people would have just thrown it the towel. Sierra, like the true professional she is, stayed utterly focused on the task and that determination created the amazing photograph that you see here. Thank you!!!!

.b and are best friends and also company members of . They visited me last weekend and we decided to try something a little bit different. I asked them to bring clothes from their closet and come ready to play “fashion”. Here a some of the results!!

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Can dancers fly? I think the answer is yes…and here is an image to prove it. .renityarcher with .

is a company member. We have worked together a number of times in the past and great imagery is always the result. Was so excited to have her back in the studio last weekend…and I am absolutely in love with what we created! The movement and the emotional quality of this image absolutely rocks me!!

.renityarcher is a company member with the . He visited me in the studio a week ago and as you can see…did not disappoint!! Love the gravity defying quality of this image…and how calm he was able to look while doing it!! As they say sometimes on tv…don’t try this at home!

Assist: .lumination

When company member visited me in the studio last weekend, we looked a various poses and movements that he might do. This is the one that really jumped out at me. It defies gravity in a beautiful and unusual way…and I love it! And yes, it was PAINFUL on the knees!!

Assist: .lumination

Late last year I had the great privilege to collaborate with artistic director to produce the 2024 promotional ad material. These are just a couple images from the series we created. The dancers are and .renityarcher.

Before I started shooting dance, my passion and livelihood as a photographer was focused on portraiture. That love has not gone away. My sensibility for this medium has shifted though. I have really tried to be artful in my dance photography and now I want my portrait work to be beautiful and timeless as well. Here are some samples. My subject is company member .

Hair & make-up: Lydia Duron

Soloist and Principal Dancer Brett Young stopped by the studio late last year to work on some partnering shots with me. They came with a lot of ideas for poses…and two of my favorites are attached. Absolutely LOVED working with these two as they are both “all in” when it comes to imagery and are willing to go the distance to get the shot!!

company member is the center of attention for this new ad to announce the 2024 audition for the company.

Another beautiful image from my earlier session with Principal dancer .vellichor and her dance partner, Corps de Ballet member . Am hoping they are both getting a little rest after a wild and crazy Nutcracker season!

Presenting... the company members for 2023-2024! I LOVE shooting group photos like this and am so happy with how this came together. Hard to go wrong with such an amazing array of dancers. Thank you DBDT for this wonderful opportunity!

New poster to promote the upcoming Performance and Gala. The dancers pictured are and . We shot this in the studio on a black background. The amazing graphic and digital work was done by mega talented Bruce Wood Dance designer Ellen Kendrick.

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Soloist and Principal Brett Young joined me in the studio recently. I asked them to work on some pose ideas before coming in and after looking at a number of possibilities... was especially drawn to this one. Am thinking maybe I could sell it to Elon Musk for the new “X”. :-) More to come!

I am deviating from the dance photos for just a quick moment because I want to share this interesting image from my archives that has suddenly become relevant. Like many of you, I am a huge fan of the Hulu series The Bear starring . Jeremy is also starring in the new movie “The Iron Claw” about the Von Erich wrestling dynasty in Dallas. In 1988, I photographed the Von Erich family for a story that ran in . David Harris (who went on to become the Design Director of ) was the art director. We did a cover image and a number of shots for the inside. This is the only one that I have scanned at the moment. Kevin Von Erich is on the top and his brother Kerry (who Jeremy plays in the movie) is on the bottom. It is a wonderful memory. Have a great Thanksgiving!

is featured in the new magazine this month and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to create a cover image. Artistic Director Joy Bollinger developed the concept and rehearsal director Matt Rivera fine tuned it in front of the camera. On the floor are dancers and .butler. Standing in front are and and in back, and . It really makes for a beautiful cover!!

Was back in the studio on Sunday after a number of weeks off…and it was so much fun to work with Principal dancer .vellichor and Corps de Ballet member . They came ready to roll with numerous pose ideas. This is the one that jumped out at me first. More will come in the following weeks.

& wrangled their way into this pose to advertise the Wood/Works Winter Intensive coming up at .

Julia Buckelew is a physical therapist that works exclusively with dancers. Her new business () is in Frisco and will open soon. The ribbon cutting is Thursday, Oct. 19 between 3 & 4. A Grand Opening ceremony will take place on November 4. The address is 8861 Coleman Blvd., Fisco, TX and you can reach her at 214-937-0305. If you have an injury…she is the person to see.

Am super excited to announce that I now have a new, 'dance specific' website. Please check it out at www.kentbarkerdance.com. The star of my opening page is former student . Rachel now dances with . Page graphics are courtesy of graphic design genius .

Was so excited to have soloist join me in the studio last week. Katelyn grew up in Ft. Worth and trained at the North Central School of Ballet and the Trinity Valley School of Ballet. She was a Nordan Fine Arts scholar while attending TCU and joined TBT in 2013. Attached are two of my favorite images from our session. Thank you Katelyn!!

is a soloist with in Fort Worth. She began her training in Illinois at the School of Dance West Ballet. She continued her training at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet and TBT. After graduating Magna Cum Laude with a fine arts degree from Belhaven University, she joined Texas Ballet Theater in 2014. It was so much fun having her in the studio!! Here are my fav’s from the session.

.b and are company members that I absolutely LOVE working with. Both bring an incredible level of talent, athleticism and creativity to the table. Here are two of my favorites from our most recent session.

I have not shot for a while because everyone has been away. All of the companies have just started back though and the 2023/2024 season is now underway! Was so much fun to get back into the studio. We kicked things off with company members and .isaiahh. I posted work just a few weeks ago that I shot of them when they were DBDT Encore members. They have both graduated to the senior company this year…and as you look at these images, you can see why. Can’t wait to see them perform!

Was so honored to work with again this year, creating promotional photographs for their 2023/2024 Season. Pictured here are company members and . Keep an eye out for these images, as the promotional material has just been released!

Am super excited that has chosen my photograph of BWD dancer to announce their 2023/2024 Season. The photograph can currently be seen on the Bruce Wood Dance website and will also appear in .

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Here is another wonderful photo from my recent session with dancers and . Isabel will be dancing with the Alvin Ailey company in NYC this year and left town just days after we shot this. Congratulations Isabel!!