Jonathan Givens

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, & 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.

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About the Author:

Hi there! My name is Jonathan Givens. I’m an entertainment guy. I began as an actor/dancer/singer (I’m a member of the Actor’s Equity Association), and toured the country with multiple productions. After injury moved me off stage, I turned to theatrical tech work. I am also a member of IATSE (the professional stagehand’s union), and a bunch of other organizations. You can see more about my technology work at http://www.eps.productions.

As a photographer, I am a Certified Professional Photographer, and I’ve earned the degree of Master of Photography from PPA (Professional Photographers of America). All I photograph is entertainment – dancers, acrobats, singers, musicians, etc. My company, EPS – Entertainment Photography Specialists, located in Sunrise, FL, operates the world’s only dedicated performer photography studio, complete with a sprung floor for dancing, and rigging points for aerial photography and staffed by an ETCP Certified rigger (myself!).

It was Oprah who got me into photography. I was the carpenter for her show, and she told me one day I should be taking photos of the work I was producing for her. So I got a camera. That led me into a career that has re-defined my world! You can see our work at http://www.eps-photo.com.

Dance Across the USA is the most incredible thing I have ever done in my life! As part of this project, I racked up some unimaginable statistics: Over the course of 90 days: 22,264 miles driven; 22,160 photographs created; 163 dancers photographed; 56 locations; 50 states; and 1 Mighty Buford, my van that served as the vehicle—both literally and figuratively—for my odyssey. I wanted to do something that supported both the industry I love (entertainment) and gave something back. A portion of the proceeds from these book sales will be donated to the National Endowment for the Arts, and to America’s parks.

Thank you for considering my book, Dance Across the USA!