Dancers & Dogs Teamed Up With a Local Animal Shelter for the Second Annual "Muttcracker"
The holiday season is coming our way, and with it good cheer, a giving spirit and, of course, The Nutcracker. Our favorite photography duo, Dancers & Dogs, has found a way to garner that energy for a good cause: pet adoption.
Kelly Pratt and Ian Kreidich, the St. Louis–based husband-and-wife team behind the popular photography project, have collaborated with Saint Louis Ballet and Stray Rescue of St. Louis for the second year in a row for what they’ve termed “Muttcracker.” “Since the beginning of Dancers & Dogs, people have really wanted us to incorporate dogs that are up for adoption,” says Pratt. “We have a really strong relationship with Saint Louis Ballet, so we asked if they’d be comfortable wearing Nutcracker costumes to help get these dogs adopted in a new, fun and interesting way.” Not only was this project the perfect way for Saint Louis Ballet to promote its Nutcracker, which runs November 29-December 23, but it was a great fit for Stray Rescue as well. As the largest no-kill organization in the greater St. Louis area, it’s focused on saving pets that have been abused and neglected. “They were really excited about showing their dogs in a positive way,” says Pratt.
In choosing which pets would get their moment in the limelight, Stray Rescue picked some that already been given visibility on Instagram, and others that have had a harder time finding adoptive homes, like the elderly, blind chihuahua pictured with the Rat King above. But working with rescue dogs that are largely untrained comes with a whole new set of challenges. “With ‘Muttcracker’ we’re keeping things really simple,” says Pratt. “We have the dancers do simple moves, or just sit and interact with them. These dogs have never seen anything like this before.”
Last year, all of the dogs that Pratt and Kreidich shot were adopted within two months of being featured. This year they worked with even more pups, as well as three kittens, but the team is hopeful that all of these animals will find new families in time for the holidays. Will any of the dancers they were photographed with end up taking a pet home? “I don’t think so,” says Pratt, “But they really, really want to.”
On November 19, Pratt and Kreidich release
Dancers & Dogs, The Book
, their brand new coffee table photo book. A percentage of the proceeds will go to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.
We’re
giving away two copies to our readers. Click here to enter!
