Fstoppers Interviews the Ballerina That Danced for Photos Atop the Tallest Residential Building in the World

How do you commemorate the opening of the third tallest building in the United States and the tallest residential building in the world? With an epic photo shoot, of course. Model and Dancer VikTory took to the sky to pose for this amazing set of photos that duly capture the scope of the building. 

Beginnings

VikTory is a model and dancer originally from Austria who began her dance career at age three, when she took a ballet lesson and realized her love for the art. Her passion quickly expanded to include jazz and lyrical dance along with choreography. Citing her supportive parents, she notes that at 14, she came to a crossroads that represented the precipice of a life in dance:

I realized that if I went to high school, I wouldn't have any time to dance anymore. I decided that there had to be a way to do both: getting a great school education and doing dance. So, at the age of 14, I went to a boarding school for competitive sport, focusing on classical and modern ballet.

Daily life at the boarding school involved a 5 am wakeup call for exercise and dance class, followed by a normal school day, and more classes and rehearsals until 9 pm, when homework was still to be done. Before she even graduated, VikTory began working for the Ballet St. Pölten, eventually joining the company full-time and traveling the world. It was at this point that she discovered a knack for modeling through dance: her extreme flexibility and work in art nudes gave her abilities few have and made her a sought-after model, particularly after the 432 Park Avenue project.

432 Park Avenue

432 Park Avenue is a monstrous building in all respects: size, luxury, and cost. Stretching 1,396 feet into the Manhattan sky, the 85-story structure features 104 condos and was completed in late 2015 at a cost of $1.25 billion. As such, DBOX, the communications agency in charge of promotion, wanted a shoot that adequately captured the awesome scope of the project. VikTory originally found a casting call for a "statue that starts moving," which was to be a short clip as past of the promotional video. However, after a short time, the direction of the shoot was changed to feature her unique talents, greatly increasing her involvement, both as a model and as a creative collaborator:

Since they hadn't had too much experience with shooting a dancer, I was allowed to share my thoughts and ideas, and we worked on the poses, styles, etc. together. 

What made the shoot particularly interesting, however, is that it was done in 2013, well before construction was completed. In order to generate interest ahead of time, the agency built a window frame that duplicated that from the design of one of the building's apartments and used a green screen for the shoot. 

The shoot lasted two full days for the promotional book and a full week for the video. Besides the long days, VikTory notes that there were some unique difficulties, particularly balancing herself on the narrow window frame. Beyond that, working with such a massive team on a high-profile project was its own challenge:

I am quite shy. I got the job not too long after I came to NYC all by myself, so I had to convince myself I could do it.

In the end, the results were definitely worth it, as you can see in the spectacular images. 432 Park Avenue has already sold many of its units, so it's safe to say that the shoot was a success.

Tips for Models and Photographers

Because of her unique abilities that push the boundaries of collaboration, VikTory has some great insight for both photographers and models:

I think it is important to collaborate and to constantly learn... In dance photography, most people don't know what is physically possible for me, so it's important to share new ideas, try new things, trust each other, and not force anything. My ballet teacher always said: 'Keep your attitude on the stage,' and I think that applies for a model too. Be sassy, sexy, arrogant — whatever you want to portray for the camera — but when interacting with people, be professional. 

She also notes that she frequently asks photographers why and how they light things, which has in turn helped her to understand how to better pose herself in a manner conducive to photography. I think the results of this unique and beautiful shoot speak for themselves. 

Be sure to check out VikTory's site and follow her on Facebook and Instagram!

All images by DBOX, Matthew Bannister, and Keith Bomely, used with permission.