Jazz Dancing at the Vox

The Vox club in Brighton Terrace had been a disused warehouse until it was renovated into a night club. Oscar Romp attended the jazz nights held there until 1993 when they were stopped for not being lucrative enough.

This view, made shortly before the end of the jazz nights, highlights the spatial arrangement of the club, as well as the decorative patterns created by the lighting. Light-coloured pastel contrasts with the darkness of the interior to differentiate areas of the drawing, including the man's feet on the left and the outline of the dancer, known as Rocky, in the foreground. Ten standing and sitting figures populate the scene.

Oscar Romp has depicted numerous scenes of club nights in London, including The Jazz Cafe, The Blue Note, Bar Rumba and Madame Jo-Jos. For the artist, 'Dance ... is about "drawing with the body". My love of music and dancing prompt me to draw human figures in actual activity, in real situations, where I can explore the figure in movement within the context of a dance club.'

This drawing is one of three by the artist in the Museum's collection, all of which focus on the London jazz music scene.