Released 10/14/2009

Dancing to the sound of ... artwork?

Nearly every day, in the scholastic world, a classroom assignment fires a student’s interest. Being asked to tend seeds shows a girl that she is fascinated by botany; discussing a documentary uncovers a need to make films.

But can this happen in reverse?

In certain magical occasions, it does — first, students happen to be captivated by something, and a lesson evolves organically around it.

That is exactly what dance teacher Susan Strong experienced several years ago when she hung a Keith Haring poster in her dance studio, purely as decoration. Her students were so fascinated by the art, without any intervention on her part, that she has since designed an entire choreography assignment around the work.

“I noticed that over time, the girls just started taking to it,” she said. Clusters of students would congregate in front of the poster before class, discussing Haring’s brightly colored trademark figures and positioning themselves into some of the shapes depicted in the artwork’s 24 separate frames.

A unit on Haring-inspired dances was born.

The enthusiasm that Ms. Strong’s Class 2 girls bring to the assignment today reflects the magnetic appeal that first attracted students. Dancing in small groups, they put together routines based on three of the poster’s cells. There are only two requirements: one still pose, held for as many seconds as the group desires, and one moment that features the entire group physically linked, as many Haring figures often are.

“He’s inspired by dance, so it’s great for us,” Ms. Strong said. “The girls have so much fun trying to figure out ways to create these pictures and to make them come alive.”

The goal is not replication, but inspiration. Backed by music with an African vibe and a thrumming beat, the dancers execute lifts, jumps and circular gallops. The class spills over with exuberance and joy, taking on a festival-like atmosphere.

It is clear that these are dances that come naturally.

Photo Gallery: Class 2 dances to Keith Haring