National parks and dance bring Florida photographer to Alaska

PALMER — A new coffee table top book featuring dancers from across the nation has recently been released for sale and includes Alaskan dancer Cheyenne Bydlon in the backdrop of Hatcher Pass.

“Dance Across the USA,” created by professional photographer Jonathan Givens, is a collection of images of dancers from each state dancing in that state’s national park.

“Part epic photo diary, part love letter to America, part celebration of dance, ‘Dance Across the USA’ is completely awe-inspiring. Brimming with gorgeous, full color photographs, ‘Dance Across the USA’ is filled with breathtaking images, swoon-worthy settings, and amazing subjects,” said marketing coordinator, Maryglenn McCombs in a press release.

Givens, a dancer and performer himself, wanted to make something that showcased the beauty of America and the importance of dance combined to display the diversity of the places that different dancers call their home.

His journey started in the summer of 2016 and took him across all 50 states in a span of 90 days. Givens drove through 48 of the states in a van he calls Mighty Buford, and then flew to Alaska and Hawaii.

Givens says he got the idea for a road trip after finding an article on Facebook written by a University of Pennsylvania student who had come up with an algorithm to drive through all 48 states in the fastest way possible.

He credits a glass of merlot to giving him the inspiration for the book itself.

“I had a couple more glasses of wine and then I came up with the project,” he said.

In his book, Givens features a diverse group of dancers including males and females of all different dancing capabilities, spanning the ages of 5 to 61. During the trip Givens photographed 163 dancers who were selected out of a pool of over 2,700 applicants who wanted to participate in the project.

Part of the proceeds from “Dance Across the USA” will go towards America’s national parks as well as the National Endowment for the Arts.

Givens’ second project, “Dance Across the World,” will take him to the North and South Poles, and through a total of 204 countries. He starts the next book in July 2018.