Little Dancer (4) Art Inspiring Art

I love the whole thing about art: the work itself, the creativity and creative process to it, and the story that inspired it.  Sometimes the inspiration is another art work.  So it is with Little Dancer, a new musical ballet, performing at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC through end of November.

La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans

This is the Edgar Degas sculpture that inspired Susan Stroman and Lynn Ahrens.  The two artists had been looking for a project they could collaborate on, and this 14-year old dancer was their creative convergence.

The Art Institute of Chicago has a collection of Degas, and on a visit there two years ago, I realized how taken I was by his paintings of ballet dancers.  They were just of performances, but as we see with the Little Dancer, they were also of behind the scenes stuff.  I took the photo above with my old iPhone, but while the clarity of shot was lacking, it was evocative nonetheless of a wonderful afternoon of art.