A bold, stylized dancer sweeps across the poster in a single, exhilarating motion, her skirt flung wide in a graphic arc of red and blue that feels as modern as the program it advertises. Clean lines, flattened color, and a poised, mask-like face turn movement into design, capturing the spirit of modern dance as both performance and visual statement. The typography reinforces that energy, stacking information in confident blocks that guide the eye from the figure to the event details.
Beneath the artwork, the text promotes “Myra Kinch & Group” and a “Festival of Modern Dance,” while also pointing to the community infrastructure that supported the arts. The poster notes sponsorship by the Santa Ana Jr. College Student Loan Fund and names the Santa Ana High School Auditorium, situating the event in a civic network of schools, bookstores, and local audiences. Ticket prices—small amounts set in prominent type—quietly underline how performance culture was marketed as accessible entertainment, even as it carried an aura of artistic experimentation.
Printed under the banner of the Federal Theatre Project, this 1938 piece reflects the era’s distinctive blend of public arts support and striking poster design. It’s an object made to be read at a distance and remembered afterward, balancing practical information with a dynamic image that sells the idea of dance through pure motion. For anyone interested in WPA-era graphics, American modernism, or the history of dance promotion, the poster stands as a vivid artifact of how performance was brought into everyday public life.