Alice in Jazzland - Sweet Jubilee

November 12, 2017 Morgan Petroski

Next month Sweet Jubilee is debuting their first original, full-length show, Alice in Jazzland. Back in April I took some promotional photos for them while I was in Albuquerque visiting. We chose the ABQ Botanic Garden and ventured into the Children's Fantasy Garden that was the perfect backdrop for Alice and her friends. I can't wait to see some videos (hopefully) of the performance since I'm so many miles away now. If you are reading this and in Albuquerque, go check out their show! Ticket and performance info HERE.

alice reads a book as the white rabbit peeks from behind a carrot

dancers in 1920s red and blue inspired costumes do charleston

woman dressed as queen of hearts with cards and dragon

queen of hearts with cards flying in the air

three girls in purple top with leg raised to knee

cast of alice in jazzland around table of flowers

Jesse & Kenny's Wedding - Chief Hosa Lodge, Golden, Colorado

November 22, 2015 Morgan Petroski

On a beautiful October day in Golden, Colorado, Jesse and Kenny tied the knot at Chief Hosa Lodge just outside of Denver. Surrounded by friends and family, the day was full of love, laughter, and later in the evening, some amazing dancing. They met each other swing dancing at a weekend event on the east coast a few years ago. But as fate would have it, Kenny had plans to travel through Europe pretty much right after they met so a long distance correspondence (aided by technology & cute handwritten postcards) began their relationship. Now, together, they run Swingin' Denver and teach others how to dance.

Chief Hosa Lodge, surrounded by trees and a view of the mountains, was an amazing venue for an amazing day. Even when their rings fell during the ceremony and rolled away precariously close to the edge of the ceremony site, it didn't put a damper on the day as a bridesmaid was quick to catch them. After a pause for some laughter, the ceremony went on.

Their reception had some delicious and unique food. Check out the smoking popcorn! The band was amazing and everyone had a blast dancing the night away. Jesse, Kenny, and their friends are amazing dancers and the dance floor was packed until the very end of the night. Enjoy the photos!

denver wedding-0519

Laurel & Aaron's Albuquerque Wedding

July 14, 2015 Morgan Petroski

Laurel and Aaron's Albuquerque wedding was held in May at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Words can not express how much joy and excitement was shared amongst Laurel, Aaron, and all of their guests. How many brides and grooms brew their own beer and root beer? And have a belly dancer? And a fire dancer? And some crazy good dance moves? These two are one of a kind and together make one powerful team. They met and were dating by the time I met them eight years ago. I would like to say all of their closest friends knew they'd end up together, but I've never taken an official poll on that. Based on the toasts (and roasts) during their reception I think it's a pretty safe conclusion to make though.

Their Albuquerque wedding was a true expression of themselves. Held at their church, they managed to work in bits of vintage style here and there, their love of home-brewed beer (and root beer), bright colorful accents, and friends that were there to perform to make the night a real celebration. Dinner was some delicious New Mexican enchiladas and tamales. Throughout the afternoon and night, swing and blues music filled the air when the live jazz band wasn't performing.

The night ended on a high note with a spectacular fire dance and a sparkler send off under a full moon. There couldn't have been a more perfect way to end the celebration.

Every time I look through these photos (and I've look at them a lot since the wedding) I can't help but smile as I see two of my best friends on the happiest day of their lives.

Hiland Dance Studio - Promo Photos

June 9, 2015 Morgan Petroski

Just a quick post with a few recent promotional photos I took for Hiland Dance Studio in Albuquerque. Looking to learn salsa inside and out? Check out Abdul's classes! He posts class information on Facebook. I hope these photos show just how much fun his classes are.

Game of Thrones Season 5 Premiere - Santa Fe

April 15, 2015 Morgan Petroski

In Santa Fe, the city different, at George R.R. Martin's personal theater, the Jean Cocteau Cinema, HBO and GRRM hosted a Game of Thrones Season 5 premiere with a tiny red carpet on Saturday March 28, 2015. Now I just might be a Game of Thrones fan... so needless to say I was excited to shoot the event for the Albuquerque Journal. This also meant assistant arts editor and UpFront columnist Adrian Gomez and I were able to watch the first episode of the new season a few weeks early. High five! George R.R. Martin is a very cool cat and extremely generous. I even overheard him tell some fans that were passing by and stopped for a photo with him to wait around to see if any seats opened up so they could come in and view the episode. I don't know if they made it in or not, but for an invite-only event that was fully booked that was very kind of him. He and the theater also had earlier screenings in the morning for locals willing to wait in line. It was so popular they added an extra screening at the last minute.

Santa Fe is a great place for a celebrity of any caliber to live or visit. The city and state are so laid back that celebrities can really just be part of the community. During the after party a group of actors currently in Santa Fe filming "The Ridiculous Six" stopped by and mingled with party goers and of course took some time to pose on the red carpet, but more importantly, pet and pose with Flurry, an Arctic wolf that was visiting from the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary for the premiere. By the end of the night it honestly felt like the wolf was more sought after for a photo than any of the celebrities.

George R.R. Martin has lived in Santa Fe for many years, before the Game of Thrones empire took off. The theater he now owns, the Jean Cocteau Cinema, closed down in 2006, and he bought it, renovated it, and reopened it in 2013, much to the delight of many New Mexicans. It's a neat little theater and he pretty much shows whatever tickles his fancy.

Overall the premiere was quite laid back, heck the red carpet was all of 10 feet long. Whereas the season 5 premiere in San Francisco appeared to be what you would expect from such a popular TV show, with a much longer red carpet that stretched past the piles of media waiting to interview and photograph the show's celebrities. I watched the red carpet portion live on meerkat a few days before our own Santa Fe premiere. They were completely different experiences and I wouldn't trade ours for anything.

Read more about the premiere in Adrian Gomez's UpFront column: "Hollywood comes to the City Different." See more photos on our Albuquerque Journal photo page: Game of Thrones Season 5 Premiere.

Game of Thrones Premiere Santa Fe Jean Cocteau

George RR Martin Game of Thrones Premiere

The Ridiculous Six at Game of Thrones Premiere