James Koroni for honest by. Bruno Pieters

"JAMES KORONI IS A NEW YORK BASED UP AND COMING DANCER, CHOREOGRAPHER, SINGER AND A DEDICATED VEGAN. WE MET UP WITH JAMES TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS INSPIRING MAN, HIS LOVE FOR VEGAN FOOD AND HIS OPINIONS ON FASHION TODAY." -Bruno Pieters

Photography by Joshua Katcher Text by Bruno Pieters

BP: I LOVE THE IMAGES OF YOU DANCING IN THE STREETS OF NEW YORK. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE DANCE AND PHOTOGRAPHS? JK: thank you! my inspiration for this piece is the city itself. I rarely find myself alone in New York City and it can be overwhelming at times but most often it is a source of inspiration. In the video, you'll notice, while I am dancing in the street, a rush of traffic, a man waiting in stillness and while dancing I could hear three teenagers cheering me on across the street. By being present and paying attention to my surroundings I am fuelled creatively and in return can offer something unique because it is reflective of my surroundings. I suppose then what I am trying to express is the creative symbiotic relationship that I have with my environment, which is why I am so sensitive to and concerned with its well being.

Read the rest of the interview HERE!

No Sweat!

As Commercial choreographers we often focus so much time and energy on the movement portion of the creative process that the message behind it gets put on the back burner. This can lead to a hot looking bit of choreography that impresses our eyes but may not linger in our hearts for days to come. While I am an advocate for taking time to write up an artist statement for every piece and obsess over every little detail of the costuming, there is another option that is effective and requires less time. This tip can be your creative backup plan. Enforced Arch Dance creative directors Tracey Katof and I, James Koroni, have been working on two new pieces for a New York City based music group that fuses electronic, soul, hip hop and pop sounds to make a new genre they call "Superfuture". We are so thrilled to be collaborating with them! For costuming we felt that their sound would go well with a fresh urban look. We decided to wear t-shirts with positive messages on them to complete our urban look. This is when we realized that this idea could apply to most looks.

One of our favorite designers and friend, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart of Vaute Couture, makes t-shirts that say "For the love of dog adopt!" By wearing her t-shirts while dancing we make the artist look hip and socially relevant. With these shirts on, our piece is now complete, "no sweat". The movement impresses the audiences' eyes, just as we had hoped, while the message is something that sticks with them after all is said and done.

Another great idea would be to see if your favorite non-profit organization is selling t-shirts with positive messages on them. They often do this to encourage supporters to buy their clothing, promote the non-profit and apply the money raised towards their cause. Could this be any more perfect!

Here are few other examples of great apparel to wear while dancing:

Have Mercy & Please, Don't Touch

Movers, James Koroni & Tracey Katof were invited to perform 'Please, Don't Touch' at Have Mercy!, a fashion event at Greenhouse NYC, organized by the U.S. Veg Corp. Check it out:

Jump On Board, PINNACLE

When I saw the call for fashion forward - forward thinking people, I couldn't resist lending a hand or foot.  PINNACLE: Reinvent The Icon is an image-driven initiative consisting of fashion industry professionals from all areas of fashion culture who are clarifying the changed meaning of fur within the context of our current culture. PINNACLEproduces editorial stories, and works with informed designers, models, and other professionals to create accessories and various forms of visual art. A group of us dropped by the headquarters of the most powerful fashion publications in the world to let them know about PINNACLE: Reinvent The Icon. Here are some pics from the photo shoot. .