Meet Chris Peddecord: Dancer and Photographer

I met Chris Peddecord last year while dancing with Repertory Dance Theatre for their Summer Workshop.

(He's a company member with RDT)

The first time I saw Chris dance in class I was completely blown away.

Not only is he flawless in his technique but there's a certain quality about him that is endearing and genuine.

Then last month I saw his photography and I knew I needed to know a little more about this talented man.

He is a real down to earth and goofy guy.  

I don't know if he remembers, but we had to partner for a section of a piece and I was laughing the entire time.

So I asked him to fill in the blanks.

Here are his answers.

Photography is distilling the quintessence of your subject between the four walls of a frame.

Dance is the hardest of lifestyles and the loftiest of the arts.

Life is a constant journey with an ever-changing destination.

Three things I cannot live without are good company, excellent food and artistic freedom.

Kindness, determination and passion are three words that describe my life.

My personal motto is “Technique is an orphan.” You can take a normal subject and make it pop by the use of technique but I prefer to strip bare the subject and let it speak for itself. The less layers I can put between my final subject and the viewer of the photograph the better.

I was inspired today by the dancers I've worked with.  I get into a mood where I think my portfolio needs yet more work, yet more distillation and editing the photos of these dancers inspires me to constantly create something new that I've never seen before.

My daily routine is to not have one. Homogeneity breeds complacency and complacency is the death of artistry.  My passion is multi-faceted. I love dancing and choreographing very, very much and to combine the two disciplines in the medium of photography is fascinating. In photography you remove time as a component of dance and can create imagery that makes the viewer feel uneasy as though the image were alien and unworldly.  I like to leave the viewer wondering what happens before and after the exposure.  When a dancer looks like they're going to hit the ground they probably did but there's this brief moment of release and freedom in my photos that I always strive for.

I count Clara Cravey as one of my personal heroes. Clara was one of my primary teachers at Ben Stevenson's Houston Ballet Academy and her lessons in the dance studio reflect upon the lessons I've learned in the photography studio. She taught us as dancers to be human as much as she taught us to perform ballet. She's an incredible woman and her lessons have stood the test of time.

My goals are always changing. Today I've decided I want to work with my friends and acquaintances that dance for Houston Ballet. Tomorrow I might decide that's a bad idea. The day next I might decide no goal is out of my reach.

Thanks, Chris!

You are inspiring to us all.

Visit Chris' website.

Like his Facebook page.