This year, the Art and Dance Departments collaborated for the annual Dance Showcase, working together on the production and planning.
A number of GCSE and A Level art pieces from 2023-2024 were selected by the dance teachers. These works inspired the choice of music, costumes and choreographic ideas, bringing together two very different art forms to create an evening of inspired dance movement.
What was this experience like for students?
Due to the similarities between art and dance, using GCSE/A Level paintings as a starting point for our dances was perfect.
Both artists and dancers express certain emotions or experiences using different mediums - but while painters use their brushstrokes, dancers use their bodies as a form of expression to get a message across. For the showcase choreographies, it was extremely inspiring to be able to interpret the works of art in a multitude of ways, while still maintaining the essence and meaning of the original piece.
Collaborating with the Art Department has definitely been a memorable experience for us. From seeing our art piece for the first time to finally performing the choreography on stage, it was eye opening to witness the project unfold as more ideas came to mind, sharing insights with our dance teachers to come up with a choreographed piece that represented our personal interpretation of the art piece.
Through dance we are able to create, using the movements of our bodies. Each movement represents a painter’s brushstroke, and altogether, it creates art.
By collaborating in art and dance, the similarities between the art forms have become very noticeable. They are both very expressive forms but also involve techniques that takes years of practice to perfect, capturing the depth of human emotions in their physical forms. The most inspiring part of this project is how people interpret art pieces. It’s astonishing how people perceive art differently and how they may differ from the artists’ intent. That’s what makes art so special as it impacts people in different ways.
Carleen, Audrey and Hasadia, UC5
When starting the piece of art, the most important detail of it is the feeling you would like to convey to the audience. It does not start with the composition, but with the meaning that it brings. For that particular feeling, you have to dig deep.
It could be anything; a memory from your childhood, a usual Sunday morning or your inner thoughts and ambitions. When the feeling is selected, it is time to progress. Composition starts from a single point and flows to other aspects of the artwork, then it all comes together to a piece that shows the thoughts of the artist. The material also shows a lot about the artist. Bold oil paint with precise details is my favourite, due to the variety of colours and tones you can create to show the meaning of it to the audience.
Mariia, SFC1
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