Where Art Dances
Inside the Studio and Soul of Arica Lipp
Arica Lipp describes herself as “many-layered.” And that’s hardly an exaggeration. She’s a dancer, a dance instructor, an artist and a professional photographer. She’s also a student of psychology and a business owner.
With her days stretched for time — she’s also a devoted mother of five, ranging in ages from 5 to 22 — she’s created a niche for herself that frequently combines several of her talents. More recently she’s allocated precious hours to sharpen her lens on her photography, with a keen focus on the world of dance.
A tour through Arica’s Billings studio boggles the mind. There are huge wall canvasses of photos, in some of which she strives to replicate the look of Old Master paintings. There are family portraits that exude the essence of her subjects. And there are stunning images of dancers, captured in exquisite extensions at spectacular outdoor locations. Besides showcasing her photography, her mid-town studio includes two spacious rooms, their wooden floors gleaming, where she squeezes in dance lessons.
“My studio is kind of a hidden gem,” she says, smiling. “I like people to come in and feel that anything is possible.”
Arica’s talent for photographing dancers in motion is so specialized that she shares her expertise at conferences worldwide. There’s a knack to catching the dancer in just the right pose, illuminated by just the right light, she explains. That “knack” has taken her years to perfect and has taken her to cities across the United States as well as to Normandy, France, and even to Havana, Cuba.
“The light there (Cuba) is incredible – more orange,” she says. “France has a more blueish light. In Montana, the light is more bluish-grey, similar to France.”
Yet, dance photography represents only a small portion of Arica’s repertoire. She relies on her self-taught skills to create signature business headshots, personalized family portraits and even images of ranch couples in the places that define their lives.
Woven throughout her work, she excels in covering just about every detail imaginable.
“No one will ever create photographs the way I create photographs — the color, the light, the expression I pull out of the subject,” she says. “I don’t just take photos, it’s an experience. I always serve them (subjects) in a way even they don’t know they need.”
There are few limits to how far Arica will go — whether the requested shoot is at a favorite waterfall or a destination in Mexico.
“I love that I allow people to dream and explore things they love,” she says. “I always want to be able to say ‘yes’ to any fun or crazy thing they want.”
Arica’s goal is to create a photograph that reflects the intimate expression of her subject. To accomplish that, she typically makes a pre-visit to her clients’ homes or work places to note their favorite colors and passions, to grasp how the specific light of their spaces will play into the photo and to observe where their treasured canvas will ultimately hang. She also provides style advice on wardrobe, makeup and hair.
“It’s so intentional,” she says. “All you’ll see is the feeling.”
Before any shoot, Arica realizes that she must first earn her subjects’ trust. Her own life’s experiences have helped her to have a greater empathy for her clients as she prepares them for the camera.
“You get to see yourself as others see you for the first time,” she says. “And that can be scary. But then you discover, with the right person (photographer) you have no more fear left.”
Arica’s profession not only takes trust but years of experience. Her story circles back to her childhood in the wine country of southeastern Washington, where she grew up “poorer than poor” as one of five siblings born within a six-year period. Yet, she also grew up with an independent streak and a natural penchant for drawing and movement. She credits her mother for always providing her with paper and pencils to express herself, and she praises a “phenomenal” high school art teacher for encouraging her talents.
After graduating with the highest honors in art, Arica’s passion for dance took her to Brigham Young University-Idaho’s dance program. Her life’s path shifted, however, when she married young and soon had three children. During those years, her hunger to express herself through fine arts — rather than strictly performance art — took a back seat to her career as an instructor of ballroom, Latin, swing and country dance.
Her life took another dramatic turn after a divorce left her a single parent and, later, when a subsequent marriage brought her to Billings. She’s convinced that her own life’s challenges have opened her heart to see the value of each individual.
“I want my clients to feel seen and heard no matter how young or old (or what their life situation is),” she says. “I do not have a poker face. I don’t resist my natural response to people. They can feel that I genuinely care.”
Arica discovered a new world in 2015, when she picked up a camera for the first time. She had wanted a photographic portrait of her growing family and convinced her husband that she could save the expense of the shoot if she had her own camera and took the portrait herself.
“He was thinking ‘Free photos for life?’ Done!” she says. “What I was thinking was ‘I’m an artist. How hard can it be?’
Not only did the camera result in a family portrait — Arica had to set the timer and move fast — but it reawakened a creative passion within her. This time, she was determined to reclaim that passion and never let it go.
“I had to claw and fight my way to prove to those closest to me that not only can I use my talent in beautiful ways, but I can make it a profitable career,” she says.
It was Covid, however, that honed her talents as a photographer of dancers.
“So many (high school) seniors had given their lives to dance, only to have it ripped away when performances were canceled,” she says. She discovered that she could honor them with portraits while maintaining a safe distance. “I wanted to let Billings know how much talent there is in this town.”
Improving and expanding her self-taught talents, often from feedback at international competitions, continues to motivate Arica. And as she’s tested her wits against the best-of-the-best, she’s discovered she measures up. Last year, she took third place in a competition with an innovative piece in which she painted her model’s body and costume by hand to create an image that appeared to be a painting. Then she snapped the camera.
“I was almost disqualified had I not been able to submit video proof of my process,” she says.
More recently, Arica again wowed the judges and her peers with her technique, taking second place in the individual portrait category at a competition in Las Vegas.
Her crowning moment came last fall, when a photo she submitted earned her an invitation into an exclusive contest in Denver. Competing in a series of on-the-spot photo challenges, she took grand prize — which includes a soon-to-be posted billboard advertisement in her hometown.
“I was definitely the dark horse,” she says. “I just happened to create a shot in that moment that stood out.”
Arica’s goal is to create a photograph that reflects the intimate expression of her subject. As a result, she’s had clients fly in from all over the country. Others shared they saved up over time to purchase photography from her.
“Let me tell you, I can’t get a greater compliment than that,” she says. “For anyone who values me and hires me, I’ll photograph them to my greatest ability.”
As Arica’s photography demands more and more of her attention, her words circle back to the purpose that fuels her many-layered life.
“My artist’s soul is really the secret source of my photos — keeping my artist’s heart burning to create as well as serve others,” she said. “When you have a portrait on your wall by me, it will be unique and just for you. It will be art, a statement piece to cherish for generations.”
YOU CAN FIND more about Arica at aricalipp.com
