Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

It was truly a privilege to be able to photograph Lethbridge Diva Cabaret for a second year in a row! Once again the event was held at Pure Casino Lethbridge and sold out both of its Friday and Saturday shows. Many of the performers from previous years returned and we joined by new queens, hyper queens, and a few performers from Calgary.

This year marked the 5th anniversary of the Diva Cabaret’s start in Lethbridge. All proceeds went to support the 2019
Lethbridge Pride Fest. Each year the show continues to promote its themes of inclusion and body positivity.

I even spotted a few of my group’s former dance costumes among the performers!

p.s. If you missed the photos from last year’s show, you can check them out here!

Viewer discretion advised: this post contains some burlesque images (without full nudity), so may not be appropriate while you are at work.

Cam is usually more of an important background figure in my business. He’s the sneaky candid photographer at weddings, handles ordering sessions once the camera is put away, and spends hours behind a computer editing.

However, there is one area he gets to shine… I can’t photograph a dance show when I’m in it so that duty falls on him! Cam has really excelled at his Lethbridge dance photography.

He has photographed Ammena Dance Company‘s annual show, An Explosion of World Dance and Music, for several years now and I always love seeing what he captures. Especially because I have no idea what’s going on when I’m so involved in it myself!

(If this show sounds familar, you may remember the photos for the show poster I recently shared. And because I talk about it every year.)

After a year off, we had another show this March at the Yates. Here are a few highlights. Great work, Cam!

p.s. Yes, that’s me with the vertical hair!

After one year off, Ammena Dance Company is back!

It was so fun to return to poster design brainstorming with her. With a number of Beyonce songs in the show this year, we were inspired by both a classic European feel as well as the aesthetics from the music video for Formation. Donning a very Beyonce-inspired wide brimmed hat that will be used in one of the pieces, we explored downtown Lethbridge around her new studio location. We were very generously given access to a private property that made it onto the final poster, and had been exactly the feel we were going for.

This year’s show will feature Bollywood, tango, bellydance, burlesque, The Greatest Showman, Footloose and more, so please come check it out! There will be lots of themes of starting anew :)

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After a couple years of watching as an audience member, this year I had the privilege of photographing the Diva Cabaret drag show. Each spring the event is held at the Lethbridge Casino in support of Lethbridge Pride Fest and has grown in popularity so much that this year they added two additional performances for a total of four shows (two back to back shows each night). Even with the extra shows, the event was still almost entirely sold out!

The extra drag shows this year allowed for variations in performances and outfits each night. Friday and Saturday each offered a different experience, making it extra fun to photograph throughout the weekend. They even added a few drag kings this time around! I was especially excited to hear two songs that my own dance group has performed, including an intense group performance of “Cell Block Tango” by several of the drag queens.

The show explored ideas of race, diverse relationships, body positivity, and self-expression with lots of comedy mixed in. Everyone involved, both on stage and behind the scenes, did an amazing job!

Viewer discretion advised: this post contains some sexual images.

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Rockuronium had a special live music performance at a party for many of their friends and peers, and their guitar player treated them to some live band photography! I love how the band gives all the members a time to shine. Despite there being so many people on stage, they frequently took turns singing and rotating members to the front. The band is totally made up of doctors and health care workers and their name is a medical pun – I always appreciate a good pun! :) I loved being able to crash the party and watch them perform.

Be sure to check out Rockuronium on Facebook to see when they’re performing next!

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I was excited to photograph the Five Alarm Funk Lethbridge Canada Day performance at Henderson Lake… after seeing the band live many times, this was my first time doing photos! Five Alarm Funk are a band you need to dance to and it’s a lot easier doing that without 10 pounds of camera gear strapped to you. Between all of their props, high energy playing, and numerous costume changes, Five Alarm Funk are as fun to photograph as they are to watch. They had a huge crowd up and dancing for their entire one hour set and could have played numerous encores if only there was time.

Next time they visit, make sure you check them out!

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