Dancing

J_Dancing 1

Details of a Late Classic polychrome vase which reveals the use of colour to animate the scene: the movement of a royal dance, where the performance unfolds in three stages, following the rotation of the vessel. The vase, painted by the Maya artist known as the Master of the Pink Glyphs, shows lord Yajawte’ K’ihnich seated on a jaguar throne, raised high atop a stepped structure to allow his surveillance of the dance. The three dancers’ matching regalia, poses, proximity and physical overlap express the circular spinning motion of dance with time (first noted by Just [2012:180]); in addition, the long ‘wings’ attached either side of their hips change colour from black to yellow to red, possibly indicating the rotational direction of the dancer’s spin from west to south to east.

Animation extracted and adapted from Schele and Miller 1986:205, plate 71.

J_Dancing 2

Details of a Classic period polychrome vase animating a female serving a dancer; on rotation of the vase, the woman kneels down before the dancer to attend some detail at his knees, while the dancer simultaneously reaches out to the enthroned lord seated in an elevated position to the viewer’s right.

Animation extracted and adapted from Chinchilla Mazariegos 2017:212, fig. 117.

J_Dancing 3

Details of a Classic period polychrome vase animating, when rotated, the movement of a dancer to lift and lower his arms.

Animation extracted and adapted from Reents-Budet 1994:271, fig. 6.42.

J_Dancing 4

Details of a Classic period Maya vase depicting three dancers dressed in jaguar-pelt ballgame costume to visualise the sequential, temporal sequence of their fluid steps in dance, ending in them facing the viewer.

Animation extracted and adapted from Reents-Budet 1998:288-289.

J_Dancing 4

Details of a Classic period polychrome Maya vase animating, on turning, a figure with large, helmet-shaped headdress to walk while lifting a large shell-like object, a probable weapon, from in front of his knee to his face. The fingers of the figure’s other hand, swung along by his hip, are covered in cloth, possibly a glove. The movement is repeated, like on a loop, as long as the vessel is turned in the viewer’s hands.

Animation extracted and adapted from Kerr 1989:13, file no 500.