Whitney Stories Video:
Sarah Michelson
Feb 18, 2015

For the culmination of her Devotion series, a dance titled 4, choreographer Sarah Michelson worked with curator Jay Sanders and curatorial assistant Greta Hartenstein to create a dance floor composed of 220 original paintings. The color palette came from the stone on the fourth floor of the Whitney's Madison Avenue building, where both 4 and her earlier work, Devotion Study #1—The American Dancer (2012), took place. In this Whitney Stories video, Michelson discusses the questions at the root of Devotion, including her role as choreographer, her relationship with dance and its history, and the way the work is intimately tied to the site where it’s performed.

This video is part of an ongoing series which sheds light on the Whitney’s plans through conversations with artists, Whitney staff, and integral members of the construction team—view more Whitney Stories videos below.