Inspired by 18th Century Portraiture from the Collection found at The Hispanic Society Museum & Library in Upper Manhattan

Students will “bring paintings to life” in a bi-lingual arts education program that highlights music, dance, visual arts and storytelling using 17th-century portraits from the Spanish Americas. These portraits from the collection at Hispanic Society Museum & Library, located in Upper Manhattan, will be used by the students in an exploration of life during that time. All workshop participants will learn to sing, dance and make art.

Students will learn and perform historical music genres from the Spanish speaking world such as the Cumbia and Mapalé, the Guaracha and the Fandango. All songs will be learned in their original Spanish text. 

Students will embody the figures in the historical paintings presented in the curriculum, using song and dance from the time period of the portraits. The teaching artists will lead students in an exploration of identity of self through dance, as well as an exploration of fashion as seen in the paintings, thus connecting with the cultural identity of these personalities, against the backdrop of societal dynamics during the time of the Spanish Americas.