Can art make you want to dance? For this post, I asked my fellow LACMA educators to share works in LACMA's collection that inspire them to boogie. 

Here’s what they had to say:

Small Drummer Figure, Mexico, Colima, 200 BCE–500 CE, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Proctor Stafford Collection, purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Allan C. Balch, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Holly Gillette:

Small Drummer Figure, Mexico, 200 BCE–500 CE

This figure depicts someone drumming. I can hear the beat, a rhythm coming from their drum, and it makes me move my body to the sounds.

Naima Keith: 

Charles Gaines, Trisha Brown Dance: Set #3, 1980–81

Any work with great music OR dance being depicted. Trisha Brown was an amazing dancer! I'm inspired.

Maria Ramos: 

Diego Rivera, Dance in Tehuantepec (Danza en Tehuantepec), 1935

I love this piece by Rivera because it reminds me of the time I lived in Mexico and the traditional folklore festivals in the communities that I would attend. Everyone was invited to dance Huapangos and it was so uplifting and fun and a great way to learn about cultural traditions.

Erin Branham:

Dw. Pt. Lopio, Dance Performance, circa 1940s–50s

This gorgeous watercolor has everything! Dancers in stunning costumes, an atmosphere of celebration, happy families, and lush nature. The rhythms of repeating forms throughout the work are so lively and vivid I can hear the music coming from the instruments. The elegant dancers draw the eye amid complex patterns making the whole picture leap and sway—with just enough open space to invite you to imagine yourself joining the performers.

Chelo Montoya:

Richard Serra, Band, 2006

Secret bubble with great acoustics to jam out!

Alicia Vogl Saenz:

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Dance Hall, 1911

This print by Kirchner reminds me of a night out with my friends to see live music and dance. 

Find your dance inspiration in LACMA’s collection!