Nude Bodies On New York City Rooftops Speak Volumes

July 25th, 2018 | Updated on November 7th, 2023

In a breath taking photo series that shows 11 dancers posing nude while striking elegant poses on New York City rooftops, New York-based photographer Omar Z. Robles captured the grace and beauty of dance.

In his latest photo series, titled Bare Sky Dance, Omar shows a more vulnerable side to the art of dance by juxtaposing the urban, gritty environment of New York City rooftops against the nude and graceful bodies of ballet dancers.

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A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles)

“As a dancer, I am innately self-conscious about my body because we tend to be fairly critical of our lines and technique. Being nude in front of the camera might bring even more attention to any potential mistakes or flaws. Things that maybe the everyday person might not notice but a trained dancer would. However, I chose to work with Omar on his #BareSkyDance series because he is a photographer that I have worked with before and I know I can trust to take the photographs that will represent my work well. Through this images I want to honor the strong and masculine role of the male dancer, particularly the male Asian dancer. I want people to see not only the beauty but also the strong athleticism of the male dancer. When I grow older, I look forward to coming back to this images and bring back the memories of my youth and the body that I nurtured through my career as a professional dancer.” -Alex Wong @alexdwong

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 28, 2018 at 9:18am PDT

The photographer has been snapping shots of ballet dancers for more than four years, from Melbourne to Rio de Janeiro, Omar was inspired by his background to let the dancers tell their own stories with their bodies.

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Omar said he wanted the dancers to ‘become the voice of the image’ so he explored the backgrounds of each of the dancers and uncovered why they were drawn to participate in the photoshoot.

“What appealed to me about posing for @OmarZRobles #BareSkyDance series is the fact that I have a very different type of body. I don’t necessary look like most dancers, I have tattoos and I am taller than your average male dancer. Through these nude images I want to encourage other people to embrace their differences and feel supported in being unique and different. I want empower individuals that can relate to me and my image by doing things in the dance world that just a couple of years ago people who looked like me weren’t able to do. I believe there’s inspiration there to be given.” -Terk Lewis @TerkLewis

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 29, 2018 at 9:10am PDT

Brittany Cavaco, said she was inspired to take part in the photo series because she has struggled with her body image, which has gotten worse since being sexually assaulted.

Jacline Henrichs, she wanted to do the photo series because she wanted to take control of her life after suffering a bad break-up.

NEW BLOG POST: I would like to invite you to read my latest blog post about my #BareSkyDance series. For this series I invited the dancers to pose nude over NYC rooftops. More importantly, I asked the dancer to tell me why they agreed to pose nude and what message did they wanted to convey through this images. They not only bared their bodies but also their souls through this series. You can follow the link on my profile to read all of their stories and see the complete series. In this photograph: Taylor Massa @taylorannmassa

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jul 1, 2018 at 9:02am PDT

Alex Wong said he participated in the photo series because he wanted to honor the strong and ‘masculine role of the male dancer, particularly the male Asian dancer’.

Alexandra Jacob chose to participate in the photo series as a way to ‘de-stigmatize the notion that nudity has to always be associated with sexuality’.

“Doing the #BareSkyDance series with Omar was extremely liberating. I have always struggled with my body image. Even recently I have been told by someone in a professional setting that I should not be considered a ballet dancer because of the way my body naturally is shaped. I don’t talk about this often but I am also a victim of sexual assault. The incident has made me even more self conscious of my body and ashamed. The thought of my body not being able to be partially hidden underneath fabric made me cringe. However Omar is someone I trust and someone who I know would capture these images in a way that would be respectful, thought provoking and meaningful. The day we happened to shoot on was cold and rainy, not the typical day one feels inspired to dance on a rooftop naked. Nevertheless standing on the rooftop, my body exposed to the world, I no longer felt self conscious, ashamed and vulnerable, I felt free and proud. When looking at the images I instinctively wanted to pick apart and critique every part of my body but the freeing feeling I felt on that rooftop brought me back down to reality. These images showed how incredible the human body truly is. The fact that I am able to dance and stand on my toes and put my body through such immense stress day after day is amazing. It hasn’t been an easy road but it is so good to feel proud of my perfectly imperfect body.” -Brittany Cavaco @theballerina

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 30, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

And Cassandra Orefice posed for the series so that she could celebrate the freedom and pride that dance has given her.

As for Omar, this wasn’t the first time he has used New York City as a backdrop for his photo projects because in 2015 he photographed a number of ballet dancers performing in front of the city’s industrial scenery.

“As a model, a dancer (and hell just as a woman) people often ask me to pose nude. I usually politely decline because I want my art to be about more then my naked body. Being naked is completely natural and normal but also easy. Easy to look good in a photo, easy for people to like it. But when Omar asked me to pose for his #BareSkyDance series it was about the beauty and simplicity of dancing completely free, something that took my brain a LONG time to understand. Dance is freedom to me. It’s not about technique, not about getting the best roles or being on the biggest stage. Just being present in this moment, feeling only what my body is doing, with my mind silent. For me posing for Omar’s new series was a celebration in the freedom that dance has given me. The freedom to be proud of my art and the body that helps me do it.” -Cassandra Orefice @cassandraorefice

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 22, 2018 at 9:05am PDT

He has now worked with an array of dancers and amassed more than 315,000 Instagram followers and shot several projects highlighting the art of dance and the beauty of the human body.

“I chose to participate in Omar Z Robles’s #BareSkyDance photography series to de-stigmatize the notion that nudity has to always be associated with sexuality in a visual setting, as well as to reclaim my personal right of consent after a silencing my history with sexual assault. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with either sexuality or nudity, I just prefer to not have them be the basis of how I present myself to the world. I personally feel there are ways to express oneself in a more transparent fashion without being as overtly erotic. When agreeing to taking part in this project, I was allowing myself be a part of a more vulnerable type of shoot. I consented to working with Omar (who I have gained trust collaborating with for three years), I consented to baring my form unclothed, and I consented to shoot in a more private roof setting. The essential key is that I made a personal choice; I gave it my approval and not someone else’s. This project was incredibly liberating in a sense that like being on stage, I was able to shed my outer layers and uncover the freedom of self-worth.” -Alexandra Jacob @alexandrajacob

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 21, 2018 at 9:03am PDT

Jacline Henrichs @jax_theory #BareSkyDance

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jul 7, 2018 at 4:00am PDT

“Doing the #BareSkyDance series with Omar was extremely liberating. I have always struggled with my body image. Even recently I have been told by someone in a professional setting that I should not be considered a ballet dancer because of the way my body naturally is shaped. I don’t talk about this often but I am also a victim of sexual assault. The incident has made me even more self conscious of my body and ashamed. The thought of my body not being able to be partially hidden underneath fabric made me cringe. However Omar is someone I trust and someone who I know would capture these images in a way that would be respectful, thought provoking and meaningful. The day we happened to shoot on was cold and rainy, not the typical day one feels inspired to dance on a rooftop naked. Nevertheless standing on the rooftop, my body exposed to the world, I no longer felt self conscious, ashamed and vulnerable, I felt free and proud. When looking at the images I instinctively wanted to pick apart and critique every part of my body but the freeing feeling I felt on that rooftop brought me back down to reality. These images showed how incredible the human body truly is. The fact that I am able to dance and stand on my toes and put my body through such immense stress day after day is amazing. It hasn’t been an easy road but it is so good to feel proud of my perfectly imperfect body.” -Brittany Cavaco @theballerina

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 30, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

“I enjoy being photographed nude because as a dancer, I see my body as art, and I see my nude body as the rawest version of that art. I do not see sexual or inappropriate. I see it as beauty and nature and freedom.” -Taylor Massa @taylorannmassa #BareSkyDance

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 20, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

Silken Kelly @silkenkelly #BareSkyDance

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 16, 2018 at 9:02am PDT

#BareSkyDance with circus performer Stephanie Chisholm @flystephaniefly

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 8, 2018 at 9:06am PDT

Taylor Massa @taylorannmassa #BareSkyDance

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 6, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

Cassandra Orefice @cassandraorefice #BareSkyDance

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on Jun 2, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

Here’s another photograph from my new summer series: Alberte Nilausen @albertenilausen Bon voyage Alberte, it was a pleasure working with you these years. Wish you all the best on your new endeavors ????????!

A post shared by Omar Z. Robles (@omarzrobles) on May 28, 2018 at 9:06am PDT