Dancing Underneath the Purple Rain

Alana Roth

Dancing Underneath the Purple Rain

"...Purple rain, purple rain
I only wanted to see you
Underneath the purple rain
Honey, I know, I know
I know times are changing..."
-Prince

"If I can't dance, it's not my revolution!
-Emma Goldman

This is a 9'x7.5' painting of dancers, expressing a revolutionary spirit, with the American Revolutionary flag subtly waving in the background. The image references youth, people of color, the Black Lives Matter movement, recent protests (perhaps references to a police car underfoot), and the famous painting, "Washington crossing the Delaware." Some of the poses were directly inspired by and modeled from Lil Buck dance stills. Dance, a means of expressing one's humanity, in a time when demanding rights by virtue of one's humanity, can be a radical act.