If you've seen even a fraction of the top-quality fetish photography out there, you'll recognize the gorgeous actress, dancer and model Anyssa. She's worked with such greats of the art form as Collin Rae, Perry Gallagher, Michael Helms, Christine Kessler, Ashley Fontenot, Llednor Nadirehs, Jeffrey Scott, Charles Gatewood, Bruce Caines, Robert R. Sanders of FetishPhotoBox and Phil Warner of Lithium Picnic, just to name a few. The magazines in which she's appeared display a wide array of interests and a broad appeal -- Penthouse Forum, Marquis, Girlfriends, Garage Magazine, Skin Two. Clearly Anyssa is no secret in the world of fetish and artful erotica.
She brings a wide variety of influences to her modeling work, which may have to do with her background in drama, voice and art; she also sports an education at the ultra-prestigious Martha Graham School for Contemporary Dance and a BFA in Dance from Ohio State -- Cum Laude, no less! It may be her almost mystical grace and arresting beauty that make her so bewitching, but there's a subtler texture and an effervescent creativity to her body of work that has made her one of the fetish world's most enduring faces.
Anyssa took a moment to chat with Eros Zine about her dancing, acting, and modeling work.
Eros Zine: How does dancing affect the way you model?
Anyssa: As a dancer and choreographer you learn to see line, shape, angle, composition, movement and even light from an audiences perspective. You are always aware of what the audience is seeing and that they are seeing images within a square, proscenium stage. Just like an audience who is viewing a photograph.
As a performer, you learn how to control your projection of energy and what that translates to visually and emotionally. During my BFA program at Ohio State I studied dance and art history as well as lighting design. If a photographer has an idea for an image and you as the model understand the context of it, it helps to connect to the mood and feel and physicality of the image quicker.
As a dancer, the hardest part and the most liberating part of modeling for me is being able to let go of all the self consciousness and technical aspects and just be. Dancers work very hard at trying to achieve perfection and sometimes have a hard time accepting that just by being who you are you are already perfect.
Eros Zine: Do you still get the opportunity to dance? For performance or just for yourself?
Anyssa: I am actually on a hiatus from dance at the moment. I have been dancing and performing nonstop since I was a child and my injuries finally caught up with me. I needed to take a little break to let my body heal.
Eros Zine: You're still acting and you've appeared in independent films, music videos, TV pilots and you have even been on a cable TV wedding show as a host. Does acting play a role in your modeling, particularly on costume-oriented shoots?
Anyssa: Absolutely! I love when a photographer gives emotional direction along with the physical direction. I also like to play with expressing different emotions while working on an image. Sometimes what you think might be a totally inappropriate emotion to connect to an image might wind up creating a very interesting juxtaposition. It's very hard to keep the emotions real and not fall into a formula of expression.
Eros Zine: You've worked with a list of photographers that is nothing short of amazing. It's like a wish-list of Eros Zine galleries. How did you get working with so many fabulous photographers?
Anyssa: I got very, very lucky!!!!!!! I feel very fortunate to have met and have had the opportunity to work with so many amazing, smart, creative and brave artists. It is very exciting to be a part of these artists' work. It is important for me that I trust the photographers that I work with. It is so easy when you respect the photographer as an artist and trust that you are creating something beautiful.
Eros Zine: Are there any photographers who are your favorites? Any experiences you had modeling that you wouldn't want to repeat?
Anyssa: I have learned so much from working with Perry Gallagher. He is such an outstanding artist and such a generous director and coach. He is someone who pushes the boundaries of art. He is also one of the first people I've had in my life who believed in me more than I believed in myself. His support has given me the courage to go after goals and dreams that I thought were out of reach.
Michael Helms
is another just amazing artist I've had the honor of working with.
He is a real master photographer. Both Perry and Michael have created
some of the most beautiful images I've seen and I have to pinch myself
each time I shoot with them to remind myself that I'm really there.
Eros Zine: Your work is highly textured and in many cases conspicuously artistic but you've also got a sense of gutsy humor about it -- I'm thinking of the famous photo of you cross-dressed. Do you have more fun with one vs. the other? Or is there no point in trying to differentiate between a goal-driven shoot and a more fun or irreverent idea?
Anyssa: Thank you so much! Those photos are some of my favorites. I like to have some sort of goal within a shoot. For a commercial shoot it may be a very specific goal and the client has specific images in mind or it can be a very loose goal like for an artistic shoot where you can improvise a little more and maybe create something unexpected.
Eros Zine: In addition to top-flight fetish magazines like Marquis and Skin Two, you've also appeared in Penthouse Forum and Girlfriends. From a model's perspective, any opinions on the erotica vs. porn debate?
Anyssa: All I have to say is that as a model, I have to feel good about the work I do. I think it has something to do with power and empowerment. One of my model role models is Aria Giovanni. When I look at her images I am awed by how much power and how in touch and in control of her sensuality she is. She is fearless and I admire that. Another of my role models is Mayan Lee. In every image I've seen of her she is 200% there! So I guess my point is that as a model I think you should be proud of the work you create and then people can call it whatever they want to.
Eros Zine: You're known as a fetish model, though your work is more broad-ranging than just fetish. Do you have a sense of what attracts you to the fetish world? How about what's allowed you to reach such a position of prominence as a fetish model?
Anyssa: The fetish world has opened its arms to me in a very warm and welcome way. I feel a lot of acceptance within the community. I once had a fortune teller tell me that my tribe was out there waiting for me. I feel like the fetish world is the tribe I was missing.
I was always aware that I am a kinky person. My favorite cartoons as a kid were the Mighty Mouse episodes where the girl mouse, I can't remember her name, gets tied up. When my friends and I played Barbie, Barbie got naked and taken to the dungeon. That was a lot more fun than going to the prom with Ken.
I was very much a part of the Goth scene in NY as a teenager and bought my first bondage collar at age 14 from the punk store Trash and Vaudeville in Greenwich Village. When I was modeling in the San Francisco Fetish Ball this year alongside some of my favorite fetish models from all over the world, I became very aware of each of our own uniqueness and how within the fetish community that is celebrated.
Eros Zine: Are there particular "fetishes" you have that you enjoy exploring through modeling? Fishnets, high heels, moustaches....
Anyssa: I think modeling itself is one of my fetishes. I also love high heeled shoes and boots, stockings and lingerie. I like wigs, leather and latex. Maybe I would call it a glamour fetish. And yes, I am a product of the eighties and love menswear on women!
Eros Zine: You've been seen in Fierce
Couture, Lust
Designs, Madame S
and Dark Garden
designs, among others, and you've modeled at fetish balls and fashion
shows in the US and London. Propriety, we know, might prevent you
from picking a favorite among that list of first-rate designers, but
are there any particular types of clothing items that you like?
Anyssa: Again, I can't express enough how fortunate I am to know and work with some super creative and talented designers. Each designer I've worked with has a totally different background and aesthetic and it is extremely exciting to be a part of their work and creative process. To me, latex is sensual and glamorous. When I wear it to non-fetish events people, especially women, ask me about it and want to touch it. I love the physical challenge of being in a corset. There is something about putting on a corset that makes me feel very submissive.
Eros Zine: What are you working on now? Any exciting new directions you're going with your work? Projects we can expect to see soon?
Anyssa: Right now I'm preparing to shoot another TV pilot. I'm hoping to do more independent film and commercial print work this summer and fall. I'll be in LA for a bit this spring and I'm planning a NY trip for the fall. I've been having a blast with all the fashion shows I've been included in this year and would love to continue to model in future shows. I love shooting and am looking forward to working with some very talented people.
Eros Zine: We're looking forward to following all your future work! More about Anyssa can be found at her One Model Place portfolio. Thanks for talking to us, Anyssa!
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