Words by Katie Hagan.
Dance and fashion have long had something of a love-affair. Intertwined throughout history, both are of and for the human body, and are important modes of artistry and self-expression.
This symbiosis means that dance and fashion have bloomed together over time, with the looks and feels of each at flux depending on the social and cultural trends of the period. Think on dance and fashion’s differences and evolutions since the times of Elizabethan masques, to Martha Graham’s tubular purple outfit in Lamentation, Alvin Ailey’s symbolic use of white, to low-rise trousers in the 00s dance film Honey…
In the 21st Century, we are seeing fashion designers work with choreographers including Holly Blakey, creating extravagant and sensorial catwalk experiences that have a very different aesthetic to the more traditional, white-walled runways.
One such example is Elettra Giunta’s WMN* event which fused dance with fashion last Saturday at an event as part of London Fashion Week.
A life drawing moment led by artist Maja Klimt set the tone for the moody evening. We are invited to pick up some charcoal and pastels (it was like picking which sweets to put in a pic-n-mix, v cute!) and do a series of drawings of dancers wearing the fashion designers’ works. As well as dancers Artemis Stamouli, Jacquelyn Tepper and Cali Hollister wearing Wesley Manners’ and Annaa Dewhirst’s fits, sensorially atmospheric music from Swim Silky filled the space. I must admit that I’d never been to a life drawing class up until that evening, yet it was a really engaging way to put pastel to paper and surrender yourself to your sketching impulse. I particularly liked drawing with the pastel colours to explore how they could mirror and complement the textures and shades of the designs in front of me.
After a short mixer, the dance-fashion showcase began. Dancers from the life drawing reappear – joining them are Anastasia Widyadari, Hannah Joseph and Hannah Hernandez – entering from the shadows to undulate and ripple. Together and in isolation, they embody the garments just as if they are a second skin but leave enough distinction for the dance and fits to take on their own identities. Fashion was made alive through movement and choreography, and it was so rich and gorgeous to see.