Conversations on Dance Podcast: Nel Shelby Talks about Next at The Kennedy Center
I was recently interviewed by my friends at the Conversations on Dance Podcast!
In the episode, I talk to Miami City Ballet dancers and co-hosts Rebecca King Ferraro & Michael Sean Breeden about the dream project that NSP has been working on for the past few months… a 15-camera made-for-broadcast film for a series called “Next at the Kennedy Center!”
“We had the steadicam — which, for people who don’t know, a steadicam in layman’s terms is a camera where you have a vest on and you’re walking around with the camera. We had two steadicam operators, and they filmed during the dress. Now remember, the dress was for [the dancers] to get ready for the live shows… we don’t want to get in their way! So, we had a lot of challenges to deal with… that, and because we didn’t have side lights, we could see shadows of the steadicam op on the floor. So I choreographed what the steadicams were going to do in every section. …That was the only opportunity to get footage on stage!”
“The amazing thing about The Kennedy Center is that they’re making it such a priority to do digital and do these shows… Before we knew it, we’re doing a 15 camera shoot… and I was still thinking we could have had another camera.”
The episode of “Next at the Kennedy Center” aired nationally on April 14th on PBS. You can now watch it online here!
NEXT AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
Ballet Hispánico explores Evita Perón’s diverging legacies in this invigorating and emotional work by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
Credits:
Executive Producer: Matthew Winter
Executive Producer: Steve Holtzman
Co-Executive Producer: Kristin Fosdick
Producer: Emeline Carlisle
Consulting Producers: Alicia Adams, Jane Raleigh
Editors: Ashli Bickford, Sunghye Jung
Director of Photography: Tony Donghyuk Yoon
Directed By: Nel Shelby
Ballet Hispánico
Special Appearances By:
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (Choreographer)
Eduardo Vilaro (Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico)
Next at the Kennedy Center Concert Crew:
Assistant Director / Camera Operator Ashli Bickford
Camera Operator: Caroline Haidet
Camera Operator: Grace Swihart
Camera Operator: Mike Mintz
Camera Operator: Nate Reininga
Camera Operator: Rick Burks
Steadicam Operator: Myles Shank
Steadicam Operator: Tyler Davis
Production Assistant: William Webb
Media Manager: William Dickson
Jib Operator: Chris McCary
Jib Assist: Ron Winters
1st Assistant Camera: Evan Luzi
2nd Assistant Camera: Nick Gorey
3rd Assistant Camera: Alex Guckert
Assistant Camera Technician: Harry Oakes
Audio Recordist: Colin Egan
Assistant Camera Technician: Ben Janusz
Gaffer: Nathan Taylor
Audio Recordist: Jeremy Sheeler
Grip: Drew Loughlin
Nel Shelby is Owner & Filmmaker for Nel Shelby Productions, her New York City-based company dedicated to dance videography and editing. Nel shares her mission to preserve and promote the art of dance with her husband, Christopher Duggan, a dance and wedding photographer. They collaborate on projects with dance companies of worldwide renown, up-and-coming choreographers, dance educators, dance schools and more. Nel is Video Producer at Jacob’s Pillow and Vail Dance Festival and is also the proud Director and Producer of PS DANCE! — a New York Emmy-nominated documentary about dance education in NYC’s public schools.