Drawn to Dancers: CSU’s Department of Art Brings Movement to the Canvas

Written by TJ Shockley

Images by Lindsay Shockley

The relationship between dance and visual art is timeless, captured famously by Edgar Degas’ studies of ballet dancers in motion. Columbus State University’s Department of Art recently embraced this artistic tradition with Drawn to Dancers, a live figure drawing event held at the Illges Gallery in the Corn Center for the Arts. The event, which welcomed CSU students, faculty, and area artists, provided a unique opportunity to observe and sketch local ballet dancers from The Columbus Ballet and CSU’s Youth Dance Conservatory in real time.

The event, held on March 8th, transformed the gallery space into a dynamic studio where artists of various skill levels gathered with their tools: sketchbooks, easels, charcoal, paints, and pencils. The ballet dancers — their hair in buns while dressed in traditional leotards, bright skirts, and signature tutus — struck poses that offered participants the chance to explore gesture, anatomy, and movement.

A Modern Take on a Timeless Subject

Degas’ fascination with ballet dancers, in such works as The Rehearsal Onstage and Dancers Practicing at the Barre, stemmed from his interest in movement and composition. Drawn to Dancers also invited Columbus artists to engage with similar themes—of discipline, elegance, and grace—translating the dancers into expressive lines and strokes.

Hannah Israel, Gallery Director of the Illges Gallery and a Professor of Art at CSU, helped coordinate the event and reflected on its significance: “Drawing movement from life enables artists to capture the real-time emotional impact of the dancer’s experience, rather than merely drawing a static pose. This approach allows for an exploration of fluidity and expressiveness as dancers create abstract gestures through motion. That exchange is what makes drawing from life so exciting!”

For many participating artists, the event offered the chance to work with live models outside a typical studio setting. Rather than drawing from photos or still-life setups, sketching live dancers created unique challenges with light and movement, challenging the artists in different ways.

The Intersection of Art and Dance

The choice to feature ballet dancers as subjects was a deliberate one, highlighting the synergy between different artistic disciplines. Relying on precision, fluidity, and an acute awareness of form, artists and dancers brought an energy to the gallery that resonated through each sketch.

Attendees worked in a variety of mediums, including graphite, charcoal, pencil, and watercolor. While some artists opted for gesture drawings to capture poses, others focused on studies of muscle movement and posture. Throughout the afternoon, the Illges Gallery hummed with creative energy as artists observed, interpreted, and reimagined the dancers onto paper.

The Drawn to Dancers experience also gave the young ballet students an opportunity to see themselves through a new artistic lens. “Having the opportunity to work across CSU departments and collaborate with the CSU Department of Art was truly a rewarding experience,” said Laura Johnson, a YDC instructor who supported the dancers at the event. “It was incredible to see the different approach each artist took to render the dancers onto their blank canvases. It was an equally rewarding opportunity for our students, as it broadened their dance experience to include that of figure modeling, which was the first time for the dancers who participated.”

The Lasting Impact of Drawn to Dancers

For Columbus’s artistic community, Drawn to Dancers was not just an exercise in technical skill but a reminder of the importance of collaboration. As CSU continues to bridge the gap between different art forms, local creatives can look forward to more opportunities to connect, learn, and grow in an environment that celebrates the rich artistic culture of Columbus.

Drawn to Dancers is just one of many special events the Department of Art has planned for the coming months. With an emphasis on fostering community engagement and artistic exploration, upcoming events will include exhibitions, interactive installations, and collaborative workshops.

“We hope to keep expanding these kinds of programs, bringing in more collaborations between different artforms,” Israel shared. “The goal is to create more opportunities for the community to engage with the arts in unexpected ways. We want people to feel like they can step into these experiences, whether they consider themselves artists or not.” ◼️

For information on upcoming events with CSU’s Department of Art, visit their website or click here.