The exhibition tells the stories of performers, choreographers and impresarios who harnessed America’s diversity into dance styles that defined the national experience: Dance captured American culture in motion.The National Portrait Gallery will open the Smithsonian’s first exhibition on American dance Oct. 4. It will run through July 13, 2014.
From the era of live performance to today’s media age, the exhibition will primarily use the National Portrait Gallery’s remarkable collections to chronicle how dance conveyed the dynamism and innovation that fueled the personality of American culture in the past 100 years. In addition to dramatic photographs and posters of key figures ranging from Isadora Duncan to Beyoncé, the exhibition will create the thrill of movement through stunning video installations. Dance as live performance will also play an integral role in the exhibition experience: For the first time at the Smithsonian, a dance company will be in residence, rehearsing in the exhibition galleries this fall with performances later during the exhibition.
The National Portrait Gallery, part of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, is located at Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-1000. Website: npg.si.edu.