Taking Hold: Aaron James Hooper

'It was totally the universe taking hold and making my life real.'


For most things that people start, 17 would be considered a young age to begin. Dance however, like most sports or activities that require intense physical dedication and passion, is usually something that most begin earlier. Except for the occasional show his grandparents took him to, before he turned 17, dancer, actor and model Aaron J. Hooper had no connection to the arts. Aaron was a sports guy, baseball and football filled his spare time until a serious injury changed it all.

Above: Images of Aaron by John Hooper

Upon performing his first tendu in a beginning ballet class at The Studio + in Roswell, NM, Aaron knew that dance is where his heart and soul needed to be. Since his late start, Aaron has committed most of his waking hours to his passion for dance. He has danced and worked industry professionals through his stay at UNM and in NYC, LA, and DC. Aaron graduated from the University of New Mexico with honors and, shortly thereafter, moved to NYC to pursue a career in dance. Aaron plans to dance professionally and one day start his own contemporary dance company.

Above: Aaron by Max Woltman. (See more of Aaron's work with Max below.)

This past year, Aaron's passion for dance was channelled into Phalanx, his senior thesis project about political genocide. Aaron played with ideas of prejudice, anger, hate and fear throughout the world. Aaron says that the process was his exploration of every idea (within the realm of theatre and dance) that he hopes to be able to play with for the rest of his life.

Above: Preview of the documentary of the show and process was created by Cassidy Allen Knight

'I used 150 gallons of water on stage, 2 tons of dirt on stage, set pieces, props, dance and theatrical elements, and excerpts of film throughout the show. The process kept me up for many nights as well as writing my thesis paper to accompany the work itself.'

2 images below by Claire Gutierrez Photography


Dancers generally have a heightened connection between mind and body and Aaron has an amazing ability to draw you in with the strength of his images. His incredible body, and facial structure light up in front of the camera and Aaron morphs into different characters and looks in each of his shoots. It was just one image, I initially scrolled by, then had to go back to, tagged on facebook. that took hold and had me wanting to find out more! As a model, Aaron goes beyond standing still and posing and creates beautiful moments of movement.