Dance Magazine photo contest: and the winners are ...

In January we asked amateur dance photographers to share their best shots for our photo contest. We got hundreds of fantastic entries! Sorting through them was difficult; we couldn't pick just one. So, without further ado, here are our top three entries. Congratulations and thanks to all who entered. Keep taking great dance photos!

"This image (left) expresses the full emotion of a single moment. I took it during Nevada Ballet Theatre's dress rehearsal of Bruce Steivel's Dracula in Oct., 2006. The dancers are Yoomi Lee and Kyudong Kwak."

--Jeffrey Speer, Henderson, NV

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"When I injured my hip and was unable to perform, I decided to pick up the camera and put my love of photography to the test. This photo (right) of Jason Hartley diving over two other dancers was taken in Feb. at Washington Ballet's Noche Latina! triple bill at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre. The piece was Septime Webre's Juanita & Alicia."

--Brianne Bland, Washington, D.C.

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"Pictured (left) are my fellow Dayton Ballet dancers Paul Gilliam and Oren Porterfield. I shot it for a fundraising calendar that was auctioned off at our annual Nutcracker Ball. It was taken in the studio in front of a sheet as a backdrop, next to a window for natural light."

--Keenan McLaren, Dayton, OH

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