THE ARTS
STYLE EN POINTE B Y L I LY H O A G L A N D
BALLERINAS MAKE GREAT models. They can bring a look to
life in a way that a waif stomping down the catwalk never could. This spring, audiences can watch Yigal Azrouël’s designs flitter and jeté across the stage in two dance works choreographed by Emery LeCrone as part of the Guggenheim’s performing arts series, Works & Process. Azrouël, an Israeli-born designer who achieved success without any formal training in fashion, added a tough-but-chic style to the dancer’s costumes. Rejecting traditional forms like the tutu, he worked with LeCrone to create an edgier silhouette. “I have always been inspired by movement and form and it has been great to work with Emery. We have a very similar modern vision,” he said. “I worked closely with her in fittings with the dancers themselves and got to better understand their movements here in my atelier. It was amazing to hear their feedback as I deconstructed pieces and worked with different fabrics and construction throughout the process.” The result: costumes that feature patchwork patterns inspired by the dancers’ lines. The patches are made of a variety of fabrics like leather, mesh, and lycra—materials Azrouël is currently enamoured with, judging from his Spring 2014 collection. To top the look off, he designed leather headbands that any fashionista in the audience will covet. The performance is composed of two dances set to the same piece of music, Bach’s “Partita No. 2 in C Minor,” performed live by pianist Vassily Primikov. LeCrone choreographed one with traditional ballet movements and the other with a more contemporary style; the two approaches aim at producing an electric study in contrasts. The two-night affair will be held on March 23 and 24 in the Peter B. Lewis Theater at the Guggenheim, with dancers from American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet. u
One of Yigal Azrouël’s sketches for the male dancers’ costume. 86 QUEST
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Guggenheim box office at 212.243.3587 or visit worksandprocess.org.