Dancer

“Dancer”, oil paint on canvas, 36” x 36”.

*posted on May 30th, 2021

I think it’s good timing to share this because the pandemic is almost over, and I think everyone is missing the dance floor.

But this is not about a nightclub, but about a scene I saw at a museum.

One day, I went to the Brooklyn Museum because There are only museums open (what else to do?).
They were just having an exhibit about “Studio 54”, with photos of historic nightclubs and dresses from that era.
One of the rooms was a replica of a dance floor. A disco ball and moving lights were set up, the music was played at a high volume for a museum, and the word “Dance” was written on the floor.

Coincidentally, it was the crews of House of Yes who were dancing there!! Their space for self-expression had been taken away due to the pandemic, but they had found a small place.

I immediately thought I needed to paint this experience.

The people on the left and right of this picture are pessimistic people staring at the glory of the past. Those people represent a society confused and exhausted by the pandemic.
On the other hand, this dancer, expressing joy, is very strong. It seemed to me that the dance was filled with the feeling of “need to dance” and “want to dance”. I drew this dancer as an expression of the part of a human being that is “living”, feeling that “we have not lost our future”!

I, too, painted this picture with a strong feeling.

Soon, nightclubs will be back. I can’t wait to see them.

(2021 Brooklyn, NY, USA)