The New York City Ballerina Project By Dane Shitagi

Dane Shitagi is a New York City-based photographer. Originally from Honolulu, he followed his instincts there to live the photographic life. Taking inspiration from the sights & sounds of the City as well as the energy & diverse arts that thrive there, Dane has formed a unique and heartfelt body of work that is both beautiful and personal. Rather than molding his ideas to the studio setting, he has taken his creativity and inspiration from the world outside – preferring the rawness and atmosphere that only a living city can bring.
The New York City Ballerina Project grew from the idea of New York City as a magnet for creativity – an idea that not only surrounds him in his work in the photo industry, but is also the story of how he came to live and create there. Each photograph is a collaborative work of dance, fashion design and photography played out against the city's landscape. Dane's identity as a pilgrim to this place of creative struggle was the seed of inspiration for The New York City Ballerina Project. As the project has connected him to other up-and-coming artists, he’s discovered that his story is also part of the larger story of this city; the story that gives New York its truest identity. This project is the ultimate expression of the struggling artist experience, which Dane himself is living & enjoying, currently from the East Village.