Dancing to Art

Dancing to Art was a multi-disciplinary exhibition that combined paintings by well-known Native Sons artist Al Ebanks with the performative dances of choreographers Lorna Reid, Susan Barnes Pereira, and dance partners Patrice Donalds-Morgan and Roger Thomson. Taking as its premise the universality of creative expression and its capacity to bridge different mediums, three dances were choreographed especially for the exhibition, each one providing a movement-based interpretation of Al Ebanks’ two-dimensional canvases. Collapsing distinctions between the traditionally static medium of painting and the dynamic field of contemporary dance, these interdisciplinary collaborations opened up new interpretive possibilities for Ebanks’ work—one in which dancers became in effect extensions of the work itself. In addition to a live performance component, Dancing to Art was on view as an exhibition at the National Gallery from 30 September 2005-4 January 2006.