Photographer Nisian Hughes documents his favorite subject of ballet dancers in Live The Process’s fall styles. Thank you to the graceful and enthusiastic Calvin Royal III, Nardia Boodoo, Emily Kikta and Isabella Fonte for your genius participation!
Nardia Boodoo wears Japanese gauze ecru Radius bra & Calvin Royal III wears Japanese gauze ecru drop arm tank.
Name : Robyn Berkley
Birthplace : Williamsport, PA
Métier : Co-Founder of Live The Process
Sources of inspiration : friends, family, books, internet and travel
Sources of motivation : Inner-motivation to make a difference and create positivity. I am trying to focus on tangible ways to do so.
What makes you happy : Bodhi my new puppy
Favorite reads : To Catch a Big Fish by David Lynch and Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk
Favorite tunes : 80s or Classic Rock
Favorite foods : Anything fresh from local markets. The quality and taste is so distinguishable, and ofcourse bread and cheese are a big pleasure.
Isabella Fonte wears ivory Supplex V bra and geometric shorts.
Beauty tips : I am a bit low maintenance, but I swear by Just Be Rosewater Spray and Nourishing Oil, and also Dr. Barbara Sturm and Susanne Kaufmann products. I love trying new things! Dry Brushing I guess is something I consistently do and microcurrent treatment has become a go to. Not sure if this is beauty, but I am obsessed with body alignment right now and keeping all of my energy channels flowing.
Favorite ways to unwind : meditation, yoga, reading
What gets you in a working flow : morning coffee with homemade cashew/almond milk
What are you working on now : SO much. Our new collection for SS18. A few key projects to launch for spring for Live The Process and planning a big vacation for December break. NEED IT!
Nardia Boodoo wears oblique leotard Supplex & Isabella Fonte wears geometric burgundy/black Supplex bra and geometric crop burgundy/black Supplex legging.
Favorite motto / quote :
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
― Steve Jobs [Stanford University commencement speech, 2005]
Last words about the shoot for The Know : Truly inspired by the unisex qualities of the Live The Process collection, and of course the strength and poise of all of the dancers. True confidence and super inspiring on their level of devotion to beauty from within articulated through their bodies.
Calvin Royal III wears knit sweatpants.
Name : Calvin Royal III
Birthplace : Georgia, US
Occupation : Professional Ballet Dancer
Sources of inspiration : My close friends and family, and NYC, the city I live in where lots of arts and cultures thrive.
Sources of motivation : My work. Being a ballet dancer takes a lot of discipline, and both physical and mental stamina. Striving for better lines, and technique, learning new ways to become a better artist. The challenge of it motivates me to push beyond my limits.
What makes you happy : Being surrounded by nature.
Favorite reads : The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Favorite tunes : I have over 100 playlists on Spotify. Depends on the day and my mood.
Favorite foods : Pasta, French pastries, mangoes.
Beauty tips : There’s so many regimes out there. I say go with what works for you.
Favorite ways to unwind : A hot epsom salt bath with essential oils and tea lights… What can I say, it’s one of the best things that helps me relax.
What gets you in a working flow : A good breakfast and my headphones playing good tunes on my commute to the studio.
Calvin Royal III & Nardia Boodoo both wear knit suspender leotard in black and white.
What are you working on now : My spring season with American Ballet Theater just ended, and I’m heading to the Vail International Dance Festival in Colorado, and shortly after to the Sun Valley Ballet Festival to dance in a new creation by Gemma Bond curated by Isabella Boylston.
Favorite motto / quote : “to thine own self be true”
Last words about the shoot for The Know : The fabrics are incredibly soft! I could wear them to rehearsal or on the street. They’re simple, yet elegant, and so comfy.
Calvin Royal III wears drop arm tank.
Name : Emily Kikta
Birthplace : Pittsburgh, PA
Métier : Dancer with New York City Ballet
Sources of inspiration : My inspiration for creating comes mostly from the music. The right music will give me almost photographic images of the ballet or video I want to make. Then I can fill in the blanks between those vivid images to create a cohesive piece or mood. Most of the time I hear stories within the music that help to shape the arc of the piece too. For dancing, I’m inspired by the many great artists around me. Watching others dance with their whole heart inspires me to push myself too.
Sources of motivation : I’m motivated by my many goals for myself. I’m proud of where I am now, but aspire to do and be much more. These outstanding goals help motivate me and get me in the studio trying new things every day.
What makes you happy : Creating. Whether it be dance or videos or writing. I love the process and multiple steps of creating a piece of work. Even when it’s frustrating or seemingly a failure, I love the journey from inspiration to final product.
Emily Kikta wears ecru Japanese gauze corset leotard.
Favorite reads : my favorite read, and something I carry with me most days, is Rainer Marie Rilke’s Letter’s To A Young Poet. Whenever I’m feeling uninspired or stale in my mind I read one of the letters and am given a new way to think about my work or my day. Other than that, Lucy Gayheart by Willa Cather will always be a favorite.
Favorite tunes : my favorite artist is Passenger. Not only his music, which are beautiful poems even more than just songs, but also how he does all of his writing and music himself, and even has his own label to distribute his work. Besides Passenger, I’m a huge Counting Crows, Bear’s Den and Lo-Fang fan.
Favorite foods : my favorite food is actually something I adapted from a Blue Apron recipe! It’s this sort of pesto sauce made with parsley, capers, Parmesan cheese and garlic. I put it on almost anything: meat, fish, vegetables and pasta. I always have a batch in my freezer for any meal.
Beauty tips : I don’t like to fuss a lot with beauty products due to sweating and dancing all day. I like to have a clean face so my pores don’t get clogged but I do love a good moisturizer. I use 3 different kinds in the summer (Aveeno, Neutrogena and natural sunscreen) and then add a homemade oil in the winter to help my face recover from the wind, the sweat and the harsh performance makeup.
Favorite ways to unwind : my favorite way to unwind is watching Netflix with friends. My days are usually very busy and I get to spend such short amounts of time at home, so anytime I can relax with a home cooked meal and a good show, I take advantage of it. Also, if I have a bit more energy I like to experiment with painting and drawing. It’s a great way to clear my mind.
What gets you in a working flow : good music will get me to do anything. If I can create the right mood for myself then I’ll work for hours.
What are you working on now : in addition to training with Netherlands Dance Theater, I’m working on two dance videos with Peter Walker that we shot in my empty apartment before I moved. We’re in post production so it’s fun to manipulate the footage in different ways to create something interesting and fun to watch.
Favorite motto / quote : I don’t have a specific motto per say but I do think a lot about being brave and doing things out of my comfort zone. One of my biggest fears is that I’ll get complacent, so I always try to remind myself to try something new.
Last words about the shoot for The Know: This shoot pushed me far outside my comfort zone which was terrifying, but I was glad to have done it. I loved working with the different skirts and the beautiful unitards.
Nardia Boodoo wears charcoal and cool black Easy bomber.
Photographer: Nisian Hughes
Stylist: Bunny Lampert & Masha Orlov
Make-up: Rebecca Alexander using Glossier @seemanagement.com
Photo Assist: Benjamin Peterson
Style Assist: Kristina Kelm
