Dance Across the USA

Dance Across the USA was honored with two major literary awards - a First Place award from the National Indie Excellence Awards (Performing Arts Category) as well as a First Place award (Photography) and a Grand Prize from the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Dance Across the USA is a collection of dancers from all over America helping to showcase what is beautiful and inspiring in this country. Covering 22 264 miles 163 Dancers 90 consecutive days 56 locations &amp 50 states Master Photographer Jonathan Givens created this project to show what really makes up America. Diversity that exists both in the physical landscape and in the dancers who make America their home. The photographs in this book are real. The dancers actually did what you see in the places shown. The skies are real the landscape is real even the dirty feet are real. There is no digital compositing here nor are there any trampolines or wires. Using only Canon cameras and flashes Jonathan quite literally went to the ends of the nation to work with dancers ranging from 5 to 61. Professionals and amateurs students and teachers boys and girls cat lovers and dog lovers everyone and anyone was welcome. Over 3000 dancers applied to be a part of the project and those selected for the book reflect not only the range of what makes up dance in America but they also showed a love for this country and its wonders. Dance Across the USA is a fun beautiful and inspirational look at America both its places and its people. It is our differences and our diversity that combine to make us all Americans. From the sandy Florida beaches to the rugged Washington coast the glaciers of Alaska to Death Valley in California diversity is the hallmark of what literally makes up America. That diversity is reflected in our citizens and our dancers. Join Jonathan and the Mighty Buford as they make this historic journey that no one has ever been crazy enough to try before.   My name is Jonathan Givens and I'm a well I do a lot. It's really down to I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up if I grow up. My wife says I'm 4. I think that's pretty accurate. I have spent my whole life working in entertainment... first as an actor/dancer/singer then a technician then a designer. I've been a choreographer and a director. My career has spanned theater film television circus McDonald's and Waffle House. Like many people I know in the arts I have had to do lots of things to get by. Some pretty cool others not so much. I am a Certified Professional Photographer and have earned the degree of Master of Photography both through the Professional Photographer's Association. In the entertainment world I am a dual-certified ETCP rigger a member of the Actor's Equity Association (AEA) and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). I am also an American Circus Educators Safety Consultant.   "Now and then there's a project that so exceeds your expectations you find yourself wondering how you missed it. When Jonathan told me about his vision for a book it sounded great. His passion was infectious but it wasn't until I previewed Dance Across the USA I realized what an incredible body of work he's created. This is one of those books that simply belongs on every coffee table in America. It's a tribute to the art of dance our national parks photography and the unstoppable enthusiasm of a great artist!" -Skip Cohen Founder/President SkipCohenUniversity.com