Dance News

#FollowFriday: @issadancelook Is the Dance Fashion Account You're About to Be Obsessed With

July 19, 2018

Our story begins on January 3, 2018, when an account called @issadancelook suddenly appeared on the Insta-horizon. Almost immediately, the page was chock-full of artsy shots of SUNY Purchase dancers in their quirkiest, most stylish classwear and rehearsalwear. Barely half a year later, the page has an intensely engaged base of followers and plans to highlight looks from dancers around the world.

Why are we obsessed with this account (and you should be, too)? First of all, the fashion choices are EVERYTHING. Clearly, Purchase attracts students who apply creativity to every part of their lives. (First among equals being Joy-Marie Thompson, who started and ran the page through the end of last month, and Dava Huesca, a rising senior who recently took on the project.) But what’s really hooked followers like yours truly are the fantastic captions replete with dancer humor, excellent emoji use, and fascinating backstories behind the clothing pieces that make up dancers’ in-studio wardrobes.

{“adCodes”: [], “adsOrder”: [3]}

{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Exhibit A:”, “credit”: “u003cpu003eu003ca href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/Bds1l4xnJXP/?taken-by=issadancelook” target=”_blank”u003ewww.instagram.comu003c/au003eu003c/pu003en”, “description”: “”, “caption”: “”}

{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “And Exhibit B:”, “credit”: “u003cpu003eu003ca href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/Bethux-HHN7/?taken-by=issadancelook” target=”_blank”u003ewww.instagram.comu003c/au003eu003c/pu003en”, “description”: “”, “caption”: “”}

{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “And Exhibit C! “, “credit”: “u003cpu003eu003ca href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BjiBgIbg8Mp/?taken-by=issadancelook” target=”_blank”u003ewww.instagram.comu003c/au003eu003c/pu003en”, “description”: “u003cpu003eLast but certainly not least, here’s choreographic LEGEND (and lecturer in dance at Purchase) u003ca href=”https://www.dancespirit.com/meet-your-mentors-2326820488.html” target=”_self”u003eDoug Varoneu003c/au003e serving up some very special dance looks of his own.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “”}

“Joy-Marie created this account as a platform to celebrate her peers at the Conservatory, as well as embrace our uniqueness in ways that aren’t critiqued and in which technical ability doesn’t matter,” Huesca said in an email. “Issadancelook highlights our artistry through fashion. People are often curious about life behind the curtain; this page is a sneak peek into our eclectic style and ability to pull together looks that can be worn both inside and outside of the studio.”


We’re not the only ones impressed by these looks. The end of last month saw a collab conceptualized by Robert Wagoner, a freelance photographer and Purchase alumnus, with dancers modeling clothing by NYC-based clothing brand Supreme. I mean, will you just look at these in. cred. i. ble. pictures!

I can’t, y’all. It’s just too good.

By now, you’re probably wondering if what you’re wearing to class or rehearsal today in fact issa dance look or, um, is not. There’s only one way to find out: The page accepts submissions! So what are you waiting for? Hit those DMs with your best ensemble and prepare for your 15 minutes of studio-style fame. And, in the wise words of Joy-Marie, “Stay looking good. Always arrive to the studio in your BEST attire and your BEST intentions.” We couldn’t agree more.