BY: LISA CAVANAUGH
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: KIM RODERIQUES
Is your dog a dancer? Would your cat consider the cha cha? Is your rabbit ready to hip-hop?
Kim Roderiques—a Chatham photographer and author (“Dogs on Cape Cod”)—found the combination of dancers and pets irresistible, after local dance teacher Adam Spencer showed her a beautiful photo series of NYC Ballet dancers with dogs. “I told him we have to do this and make it unique and special for Cape Cod!” says Roderiques.
Already passionate about sharing her talents with local nonprofit organizations, Roderiques reached out to Monomoy Community Services, the MSPCA and a Chance to Dance—Adam in Chatham and Studio 878 Trust’s scholarship and training fund for young dance students with limited financial resources.
Roderiques settled on a photo book pairing all genres of dancers—including Irish stepdancing, tap, hip-hop, jazz, ballet and African dance—with their pets. Featuring the kinds of animals that are often at the MSPCA, the photos include dogs, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs, horses, ducks and goats, alongside their dancing counterparts.
“We have dancers as young as 3 or 4 all the way up to 80 years of age,” says Roderiques. “You will see that, once people are photographed next to animals, they just become their authentic selves.”
The project, “Pirouettes, Pliés and Pets: Cape Cod Poetry in Motion,” was funded by a generous grant from Rockland Trust, and all the proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit Monomoy Community Services, the MSCPA and a Chance to Dance. “It has been very touching photographing these dancers and their animals,” says Roderiques. “It’s indescribable!”
