Dance, (sculpture) - Phoenix, AZ - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

The Dance is the masterpiece of sculptor John H. Waddell, who has made a career of sculpting nudes in various dance postures or other natural poses the human form takes. The dozen scupltures included in the Dance are mainly eight adult female sculptures captured in free-spirited dance movements, with head, arms and legs in sundry arrangement, frozen in stop-motion. One unit is of a nude female playing on a flute or recorder while prancing to the imagined tune. Another unit of the Dance is made of a nude male figure lifting/holding up a nude female figure over his head. The final sculpture is that of a young girl standing as if posed to begin her dance. All these figures are formed of bronze with a very dark patina. The figures are not smoothly polished but are rather roughly molded, yet accurately detailed and showing emotion and expression in face and form.
The coordinates of this waymark are centered at the plaque giving details of the Dance's sculptor, date and sponsors. This plaque is found near the corner of E. Monroe Street and N 2nd Street in Phoenix, AZ. The text of the plaque reads as follows:

"Sculptor
John Henry Waddell
Born 1921

DANCE
(Braille characters)
1969-1974

Conceived in four movements or acts.
'DANCE' celebrates the beauty of individual
difference and interaction

Sponsors
The National Endowment for the Arts
The Arizona Commission for the Arts and Humanities
Valley National Bank
Lewis Ruskin and Walter Bimson

Collection of the City of Phoenix"

The sculptor, John Henry Waddell, has specialized in sculpting the nude human form. The additional reference links below will take you to websites that detail his career. He owns and operates a Master-Apprentis styled studio in Arizona where he teaches young sculptors the art and skills of the lost wax method of sculpting. These figures composing the Dance are considered his masterpiece, although there is another set of eight bronzed nudes also made by John Waddell on the east side of the Herberger Theater Center that are equally as good in quality and form as these composing the Dance.

Additional references:
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TITLE: Dance, (sculpture) ARTIST(S): John Henry Waddell, sculptor DATE: 1970-1973 MEDIUM: Sculpture: bronze; Base: metal CONTROL NUMBER: IAS AZ000623 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Herberger Theater Center 222 E. Monroe Street Phoenix, AZ 85004 (Corner of E. Monroe Street and N. 2nd Street) DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: The Description section of SIRIS entry IAS AZ000623 is written inaccurately. It states all figures are female, but there is on male figure that is lifting up a female figure. One is also a young girl, not a mature woman. The base of each sculpture is made of bronze. The listing only says the base is metal. The DANCE sculptures are now located at 222 E. Monroe Street at the Herberger Theater Center, and not at the Phoenix Symphony Hall as listed.

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