FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — Maine dancers, Hope LeClair, Emily Thompson and Ciara Harriman are featured in a new book, “Dance Across the USA.” Selected from a pool of several thousand dancers who auditioned for the book, Emily Thompson is from New Gloucester, Hope LeClair lives in North Yarmouth and Ciara Harriman is from Sebago.

In the summer of 2016, photographer Jonathan Givens embarked on a journey spanning 50 states in 90 days with the sole purpose of photographing dancers in national parks and beloved settings in each state. The possibilities for settings abounded — a dancer on top of an active volcano, in the middle of the ocean, on a sand dune in Death Valley, in a glacier-fed lake.

During that 90-day journey, Givens racked up some unimaginable statistics: 22,264 miles driven; 22,160 photographs created; 163 dancers photographed; 56 locations; 50 states; and one Mighty Buford, the van that served as the vehicle, literally and figuratively, for his odyssey.

The result is “Dance Across the USA,” a coffee table-style book featuring images from the journey. Part epic photo diary, part love letter to America, part celebration of dance, the book is brimming with beautiful full-color photographs.

A book that is awe-inspiring in its sheer beauty and magnitude, Dance Across the USA features a wide range of dancers – from ages 5 to 61, professionals and amateurs, students and teachers, male and female, boys and girls, cat lovers and dog lovers. Moreover, Dance Across the USA provides an eye-opening look at America, from sandy Florida beaches to the rugged Washington coast, from the glaciers of Alaska to Death Valley in California and all points in between.

Jonathan Givens is a photographer specializing in the entertainment industry. Beginning as a performer, and then a technician, choreographer, director and designer, Jonathan later became the Master Carpenter for the Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah suggested Jonathan pick up a camera … and the rest, as they say, is history. 

“Dance Across the USA” was published in a trade paper edition in December 2017. It is available now on Amazon and soon in Barnes & Noble stores nationwide. A portion of the proceeds from “Dance Across the USA” will be donated to benefit America’s parks and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Maine dancers, from left, Emily Thompson, Hope LeClair and Ciara Harriman, are interviewed recently in Bangor. The dancers are featured in a new book, “Dance Across the USA.”