Drawing, Painting and The Dance (Weekend)

Immerse yourself in a world of music, dance and art-making in this class devoted to capturing - with pencil, pen and brush - dance's movement, body language, gesture, style, line, grace and energy.

Our dancers - contemporary, hip-hop, Latin - work closely with the class. They slow their movements for us, repeat simple steps, freeze motion and strike characteristic dance positions for timed poses – it is user-friendly dance for artists! They also perform some set pieces and short routines, which presents the challenge of drawing someone in motion. This seems almost impossible at first, but with methods we’ll use in the class it becomes achievable. Besides a variety of dancers, we get costume changes providing a wealth of varied subject matter.

Experiment with pastels, charcoal, acrylics, watercolours, inks and other materials; work at tables, easels and/or hand held. Of course we’ll pause at times to look at what we’ve done and discuss it, and look how other artists have depicted dancers. But mostly we'll be creating drawings and paintings. This isn’t so much a how-to-draw-a-dancer class as it is an opportunity to draw and paint dancers where we’ll work - individually and with the tutor - to improve our perception, methods and results.

Who is the course aimed at?

The class is open to all levels. If you have experience depicting people or figure drawing, you may find it easier to move into this realm. But more important than skills or training are a positive attitude and enthusiasm for the subject.

What will they take away from the course?

Add rich and fascinating images to your portfolio or body of artwork. Create images that, like dance, are poetic, stylized, delicate, romantic, dynamic, muscular, nostalgic, moody, witty and/or enrapturing.

What are the key topics the course will cover?

Depicting with both static and moving subjects. Spontaneous / fluid mark making. A sense of movement in figure drawing. Dance genres and styles. Developing sketches into more finished work. Inspiration by the convergence of music, dance and art.

What will the students learn/ achieve?

Overcome hesitancy in depicting non-static subjects. Improve your grasp of the shapes and postures of the human figure. Float out of class engulfed in a cloud of creative spirit engendered by a confluence of music, dance and art-making!

Please note: This course is for students aged 18 and older