Last Updated on 12/21/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
Just in time for the holiday season, sheltered pets of Stray Rescue of St. Louis Shelter got to pose with ballerinas for the Dancers & Dogs project.
In this season of holiday cheer, we’re glad to report on an adorable project for a cause worthy of our support. Say hello to the adorable pets from the Stray Rescue of St. Louis Shelter, who recently posed with the St. Louis Ballet for a fun “Muttcracker” photo shoot. The snaps are part of the light-hearted efforts by the Dancers & Dogs Project to help promote the shelter dogs (and cats) for adoption.
Dancers & Dogs, a photography project founded by St. Louis-based dance photographers Kelly Pratt and her husband Ian Kreidich, began as a “wildly random idea one day in early 2017.” Their goal was to bring together 100 dancers and 100 dogs together for a fun approach to showing the lighthearted side of ballet dancers. As Kelly and Ian were primarily working with the St. Louis Ballet, it was only natural for them to be brought in for the project. The playful “Muttcracker” shoot is the latest installment of the project, perfectly timed as St. Louis Ballet are performing “The Nutcracker” until December 23rd at the Touhill Performing Art Center.
The shoot produced some beautiful snaps of very adorable interactions and posing of the sheltered dogs and cats alongside the ballerinas. It’s a heartwarming combination that effectively promotes the adoption of homeless pets from The Stray Rescue of St. Louis Shelter, the ballet troupe and their ongoing show, and of course, the Dancers and Dogs project.
Watch the behind-the-scenes video from their fun session below:
Apart from adopting the sheltered pets, another way to show support for this cause is to grab the Dancers & Dogs book and calendar. Part of the proceeds from the book will go to the Stray Rescue, so if you can’t adopt at the moment, consider grabbing a copy of the calendar instead.
Photos by Kelly Pratt and Ian Kreidich / Dogs & Dancers used with permission.
