Kaidence & Kaimbry — Six Years of Dance, Sisterhood, and a Whole Lot of Fabric

The Vance Sisters - Circle Skirts

I’ve been photographing sisters Kaidence and Kaimbry Vance for more than six years, and one of the joys of working with dancers over time is watching not only their technique develop, but their confidence and artistry grow right along with it.

For this session, I wanted to try something completely different. I’d been inspired by the beautiful flowing-skirt work of Atlanta dance photographer Richard Calmes, and their mom found a couple of enormous 720-degree circle skirts. Once we put those skirts on two talented dancers, we had about an hour and a half of pure creative play.

The skirts almost became dancers themselves.

We threw them, spun them, kicked through them and sent them sailing through the air. Sometimes we were after symmetry and beautiful classical lines; other times we wanted controlled chaos—fabric, hair, arms and legs all moving at once. The black studio gave us a simple canvas, while carefully placed flash froze movements that existed for only a fraction of a second. The directional lighting also raked across the folds of the fabric, giving the skirts dimension and allowing those incredible purples, blues and reds to explode against the darkness.

And these photographs aren't just about technique.

Kaidence, the older sister in purple, and Kaimbry genuinely worked together throughout the session. They watched each other's movements, offered suggestions, helped with timing and encouraged one another when we tried something difficult. When we photographed them together, years of dancing—and years of being sisters—showed. They knew how to respond to one another.

Meanwhile, Mom was right there watching, helping and cheering them on.

That may be my favorite part of sessions like this. Yes, we created some dramatic dance portraits. But the photographs also document something much bigger: two sisters growing up together, sharing something they love, and a mom who has been there supporting them along the way.

Some of these images feel elegant. Some feel powerful. Some are just wonderfully joyful.

And that is exactly what I want dance photography to be. Not simply a record of what a dancer can do, but a celebration of who they are becoming.

After photographing these two for more than six years, getting to create something this playful and ambitious together was pretty special. And I think we may have found a new use for about a mile and a half of fabric.