Photographers say MSHSL blindsided them with tournament policy crackdown
MINNEAPOLIS — There is an uproar in the Minnesota dance community ahead of the season's peak.
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is restricting photography access at league tournaments, meaning photographers aren't able to cover meets like they have in the past.
Cobey Rouse had been a dance photographer for nearly a decade.
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"I shoot action photos at all their comps and give them to the parents and coaches for free," Rouse said. "The photo I took of my daughter in the state for her last leap in jazz, her last time dancing. That was my favorite photo. That's the gift that I feel like we give to a lot of these athletes, and that is being taken away."
Rouse is one of several photographers contracted by high school dance teams to capture their season through video and photography.
But less than 24 hours ahead of the sections tournament, MSHSL cracked down on the policy.
"The night before the event, photography was revoked. There was no reason given," said photographer Alyssa Kristine.
A former dancer herself, Kristine has built her entire photography brand around the sport.
"It's just all dance all the time (laughs)!" she said.
Outside of jeopardizing her livelihood, it's the athletes she feels for.
"One of my clients I think has 18 seniors, like almost half of their team, and they didn't qualify for state and they don't have any photos of their last dance, period," she said.
The MSHSL says it isn't a change in policy and its designated team photographer program was discontinued three years ago. The league says schools can utilize a DTP during the regular program if they choose.
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Video is still permitted postseason, but with restrictions that Kristine and Rouse say weren't enforced in years past.
"We were permitted to shoot performances only from one specific designated chair, and only up to three minutes," Kristine said.
The crackdown is causing an uproar in the dance community. Photographers say the lack of enforcement and communication from MSHSL is only adding to it.
"We're not there to profit off of photos from sections and state," Rouse said. "We are there to finish that story and I would just hope that people would realize that we're in this for the right reason."
Teams across the state are in the midst of their section tournament. The state tournament is slated for mid-February.
