Hippo Ballerina Makes Her Broadway Debut
One of the best things about living in New York City is the art that you will find throughout the city. Making her Broadway debut on February 7 is Hippo Ballerina, a 15 feet tall, 2 and a half ton hippo clad in a copper tutu. Following in the mighty footsteps of impressive animal sculptures including the raging bull, crouching cougar, and lounging lions that lord over the city’s most treasured landmarks, NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program has given Hippo Ballerina a pride of place right across from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in NYC’s Dante Park at the intersection of 64th Street and Broadway.
Hippo Ballerina is by Danish artist Bjørn Okholm Skaarup and is inspired by Degas’ Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (Petite danseuse de quatorze ans) and the dancing hippos of Walt Disney’s Fantasia, Hippo Ballerina and vividly illustrates the artist’s ability to reinterpret subjects and themes found in ancient myths, art history, modern animation, and contemporary popular culture in playful ways that engage the viewer.
“I think a fun way to revitalize themes from art history that have been forgotten lately is through animal allegories, because we are so used to that through animation and fables,” said Skaarup.
Visitors wishing to share the spotlight with Hippo Ballerina are invited to post photos striking their favorite dance poses in front of Skaarup’s sculpture on their Instagram pages.
Instagrammers marking their photos with the hashtag #Dancewithhippoballerina will have the chance to win two tickets to a ballet performance at Lincoln Center. The Instagram contest will run February 7 – March 31, 2017.
Details will be provided beginning January 2017 on Facebook: Dancewithhippoballerina and on Instagram: @Dancewithhippoballerina.
About Bjørn Okholm Skaarup
Born in Rudkøbing, Denmark in 1973, Bjørn Okholm Skaarup was an illustrator on staff at the Danish National Museum, Copenhagen, from 1994 – 2004, before moving to Florence and receiving a PhD from the European University Institute in 2009. While in Florence, he studied the work of Renaissance sculptors Donatello, Cellini, and Giambologna. He also wrote and illustrated books on history, archaeology, and anatomy.
