The Downtown Development Board invited people to attend the annual What’s Up Downtown free holiday event held at the Walt Disney Amphitheater at Lake Eola. Held at lunch time, downtown workers were encouraged to pack up a lunch and experience song and dance performances by the Russian Ballet, Mad Cow Theatre,
Docs and Dellas, Dr. Phillips Center Premier Performance Ensemble,
Howard Middle School Jazz Band and Howard Middle School Show Choir. I decided to sketch the choir whose choreography involved lots of exuberant hand motions.
Artist German Lemus had an easel set up and was doing a painting of the event. It is encouraging that I wasn’t the only artist documenting the occasion. His painting involved bold acrylic brush strokes. An office worker in front of me was having a cup of soup. Some of the young singers were flat and a few wrong notes were blatted out, but seeing so many kids exited to be on stage was heart warming enough. It was overcast and downright cold, but my tablet manages to help warm my hands.