DENVER, CO.- The Denver Art Museum will showcase Dance!—a campus-wide celebration of creative expression through movement—featuring dance-focused exhibitions, programming and local artist collaborations, as well as interactive installations, to create an immersive and whimsical experience. Rhythm & Roots: Dance in American Art, an exhibition on view July 10– Oct. 2, 2016 in the Anschutz Gallery, will present how artists, dancers and choreographers helped form the artistic identity of dance in America. The exhibition will feature about 90 paintings, photographs, sculptures and costumes relating to American dance from 1830 to 1960.

“This fusion of dance and fine art offers visitors a historical perspective on dance in America,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director at the DAM. “Our exhibitions and summer programming will show how dance has evolved over time to create hallmark traditions. Visitors will be able to experience how artists captured the cultural, spiritual, emotional and artistic expressions of dance.”

Rhythm & Roots: Dance in American Art will showcase works by American artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, focused on addressing the first influences in American dance, how it evolved over time and how the distinct traditions of American dance came to be. The exhibition will also use objects to demonstrate the dialog between visual artists, dancers and choreographers. Multi-media features such as video, music and interactive spaces will bring to life the dynamic spectacle of motion and performance through art.

Organized by the Detroit Institute of the Arts, the exhibition was curated by Jane Dini, associate curator of American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and locally by Angelica Daneo, curator of painting and sculpture at the DAM. The exhibition will include paintings that portray dances throughout America’s diverse community, from the dances of indigenous North Americans, to Irish jigs and Spanish flamencos. Rhythm & Roots: Dance in American Art introduces how dance evolves from the private sphere to the public stage, showcasing new American dances and dance in the club. The exhibition explores the concept of the stage through artists’ historic fascination with and depiction of performers. Pieces featuring iconic American dancers such as Isadora Duncan, Katherine Dunham, Fred Astaire and Josephine Baker are included in the exhibition, as well as Spanish dancer Carmencita Dauset Moreno and Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova painted by American artists. The exhibition concludes with the convergence of artistry between visual artists and dancers where individuals like Diego Rivera and Andy Warhol collaborated with dance companies such as the American Ballet.

“The relationship between two forms of creative expression, dance and art, and the boundless commotion of rhythm and movement is captured through this dance exhibition,” said Daneo. “The artists’ ability to capture fleeting moments through a painting or a sculpture and their fascination with this subject will show how dance as an art form was and still is a vital part of American life and a constant source of inspiration.”

Rhythm & Roots: Dance in American Art is a traveling exhibition. It was previously on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts and travels after it is on display at the DAM to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas. A richly illustrated exhibition catalog will be available in The Shop at the Denver Art Museum, featuring essays by art historians and dance specialists. The exhibition is included in general admission. As part of the Free for Kids program, admission for youth 18 and younger is free.