Dancing Through the Stars: A “Starry Night” Lesson for Young Movers

Have you ever looked at a painting and felt it moving? Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night is one of those magical works that seems to dance on its own—the swirling sky, glowing stars, and deep blue tones almost vibrate with motion and feeling. This makes it the perfect inspiration for a dance lesson that brings art and movement together!

In this lesson, dancers explore how to create, perform, respond, and connect—using the National Core Arts Standards as our guide. It’s an imaginative way to help students express themselves while connecting dance with visual art and emotion.

CREATE: Painting Comes to Life

Start by showing your dancers a picture of Starry Night. Ask what they notice—how do the brushstrokes move? Which parts feel calm or wild? Then, have students use their arms, torsos, and legs to “trace” the lines and swirls in the painting. Encourage them to think about texture: smooth like the moonlight, or spiraling like the wind.

Next, guide them in creating short movement phrases for the swirling sky, the twinkling stars, and the quiet village below. These can be simple phrases that play with different levels, directions, and energy.

PERFORM: Dancing the Night Sky

Let dancers share their short “Starry Night” dances in small groups. Choose music that matches the painting’s dreamy motion—something flowing but full of life. Encourage them to balance moments of stillness with sweeping, continuous movement, just like Van Gogh did with his brushstrokes.

For an extra spark, try adding blue or yellow scarves to represent stars and sky movement. The visual effect can be magical!

RESPOND: Reflect Like an Artist

After performing, bring the group together to talk about their work. What part of your dance felt most like the painting? How did your classmates show the swirling motion differently? These reflective conversations help dancers think deeply about their artistic choices.

You can also use our included reflection worksheet where students can draw or describe their favorite part of their dance and what it represented.

CONNECT: Emotion in Motion

Finally, connect it all back to Van Gogh himself. He used color and movement to express emotions—sometimes ones that were hard to say out loud. Ask your dancers: how can we do that in dance? Have them improvise movements inspired by feelings like calm, hope, or wonder, and explore how those emotions might look if painted in the sky.

To make this lesson easy to teach, we’ve included a set of free printable visual aids and worksheets, including:

• A full-color image of Starry Night

• Painting-inspired movement cards

• A reflection worksheet

• A color-and-feeling chart

With these tools, your dancers will step right into Van Gogh’s world—discovering how art and dance both speak the language of movement and emotion. Happy Dancing!

-Whitney