Moscow Ballet soloist poses for students
Written by Scarlett Ruggiero
Photographed by Lucy Artigas Viramontes
Despite the Student Center’s several floors, the building was filled with a large number of students who showed up to draw the soloist ballerina of the Moscow Ballet, Lana Popova.
Popova stood on a platform provided for her and posed for her audience. Around her, students sat on the floor and drew on several different canvases, from sketchbooks to tablets, printing Popova’s silhouette and shape.
The Gesture Jam event took place on Friday, October 20 at 11 a.m. the SCAD Student Center.
“A gesture drawing is a kind of like a drawing, very fast; it’s practice and movement…Gesture, you know, is the foundation drawing, methodology for all design area (industrial design, animation, sequential art). It is really about encouraging students to come and practice the drawing,” said foundation studies professor, Henry Dean.
“This is a very a special event,” added Dean. Just before noon he announced the start of Popova’s break and invited students to take pictures with her. Popova signed autographs and posed again, but this time for photographs.
“It was a very interesting experience; it was my first time with SCAD!” said Popova.
Popova came back to Savannah to be an audition director and work with young dancers for the new Moscow Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker,” scheduled to begin this December.
Last year, The Moscow Ballet performed “Swan Lake” around the same period. Despite the amount of work that awaits her, Popova’s was very enthusiastic. “I like Tchaikovsky a lot!” Popova said, smiling.
The event concluded with SCAD models posing for students.
“You know the wonderful thing about these events is there’s an opportunity for everybody to come and practice because drawing is such hard thing. Drawing is one of those things that comes—even if we’re artists—sort of late,” said Dean.
“The Nutcracker,” performed by the Moscow Ballet, will take place at the Lucas Theatre, on December 29, 2016, with shows at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Scarlett is a writing major, wine lover and cheese enthusiast from Paris, France. When she isn’t busy writing, she likes to wander around District’s quarter in search of new articles to write.
