We’re tapping our toes and practicing our pirouettes at the Denver Art Museum during the summer of Dance!, a campus-wide celebration of creative expression through movement with five dance-focused exhibitions and related programming.
Dance! features plenty of options for families, no dance experience or skills necessary. Here are six easy steps for performing the Denver Art Museum dance with kids:
1. #dancelab invites visitors to follow choreographed steps—or throw in their own signature moves!—in front of a screen that records the motion, then speeds it up and projects it on the gallery wall. The immersive installation deconstructs the dance experience, making it accessible to all. On view through Oct. 2.
2. At Free First Dance on the Plaza, part of the Aug. 6 Free First Saturday, twenty-one local and regional dance groups will perform on Martin and Acoma Plazas from 1–3 p.m.
3. Create a “Move with Color” ribbon ring at the activity cart on Martin Plaza, and then watch how it moves as you skip, twirl and run through the dynamic plaza installation In Motion: An Outdoor Installation, inspired by the flowing movements of a dancer’s body. In Motion on view through Sept. 25.
4. Children aged three to five can glide and groove as they make dance-inspired art, read stories and play art games in the galleries at Create Playdate: Glide, Wed., Aug. 10, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
5. In Rhythm & Roots: Dance in American Art, on view through Oct. 2, young aspiring dancers will delight in Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova’s famous feathered tutu and enjoy gently dancing amongst Andy Warhol’s Silver Clouds.
6. Experiment with motion in the hands-on Movement Studio, through Oct. 9. Create a stop-motion animation, perform a shadow puppet theater show and let the beat of the music influence a large-scale dynamic drawing. Artist demonstrations occur from noon–3 p.m. on weekends.
All elements of the campus-wide Dance! exhibition are included in general admission with the support of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), so visitors can experience it all without spending a dime during the Aug. 6 Free First Saturday. Plus, kids 18 and under receive free general admission to the museum every day thanks to the Free for Kids program.
With these Dance! steps in your repertoire, you’re ready to get on your feet and bust a move at the Denver Art Museum! And there’s always room for a little freestyle—visit denverartmuseum.org for even more exhibitions, events and artmaking opportunities.
Share your Dance! experiences on social media with #danceatDAM and #Denverbaila.
Want more great content from The Mother List? Sign up here!