The Thousands

Ballet and fashion go way back. Since the early 19th Century the Chanels, Largerfelds and Diors of the world have collaborated with Ballets Russes, Paris Opera Ballet and The English National Ballet respectively. Such design carries a common thread; a focus on intuitive and functional fabric, with just a hint of theatre.

Bodytorque. a la mode continues to explore the nexus of ballet and fashion for a new generation. Gen Y. Combining the talent of five up-and-coming choreographers with six up-and-coming designers from Melbourne’s RMIT University, the five dance pieces pair the two forms of creative expression with intriguing results.

Highlights include Daniel Gaudiello and Melanie Bowers’ ‘South of Eden’, a piece that slinks through the dark corners of a hotel brothel in sharply cut lycra, with a hint of lonely silk. Damien Welch’s clever choreography in ‘Birthday Suit’ is matched by Georgia Clark’s wardrobe staples to create a farcical dance of sartorial stereotypes. A standout performance is ‘Trace’, in which the bodies of two dancers are entwined in lashings of precisely cut stocking as they move. The talent of first-time choreographer Alice Topp, partnered with designers Crystal Dunn and Georgia Lazzardo (who merge the intuition and minimalism of their respective mentors, MATERIALBYPRODUCT and Calvin Klein), has the softest air of a Shakespearean romance and the heavy weight of a long goodbye. The result is a perfect marriage of true minds and two mediums, one that we hope continues for a very long time.