Paper Tutu • Observing A Process
If ever there was an opportunity to merge my obsessions, this my friends was THE moment. In one chance meeting, I was able to bring my love of ballet, music, fashion, art and paper to my fingertips.
This years New York City Ballet ART Series featured the ridiculously talented artist/photographer JR (who sniped all of Times Square with his Inside Out Project last summer). He created a series of large format photographs that draped the exterior walls of the Koch theater and the entire promenade floor featuring practically every dancer within the NYCB company (including my favorite ballerina Janie Taylor) The purpose of his work was to inspire movement above the dancers, forced re-positioning of the viewer to experience the imagery from all angles, whether that meant sprawled on the floor next to a grouping of dancers, or leaning over the forth ring balcony to reveal the massive “EYE” made up of paper & ballerinas.
This project alone was enough to make me swoon, I attended all 3 nights of the “series” where a Dj and open bar merged high class champaign sippers with double fisting hipsters. At one point Lil’ Buck showcased his talents in the middle of the eye while onlookers cheered in awe!
What I didn’t realize at the time was that all those players were dreaming up bigger ideas and more creative ways of blowing our minds.
This past month, The NYCB featured their 21st century Choreographers Serieswhere the beauty of Wheeldon, Martins & Peck were displayed across the stage. The highlight of the series included the debut work of JR’s, Les Bosquets. The piece featured Lil’ Buck and the NYCB company, new composition by New WoodKid (Played by Jon Batiste #SWOON) with creative support by Peter Martins. The cherry of the entire performance was the costumes.
The entire cast was dressed in black and white dot patterned unitards, all in various shades and sizes which created a moire pattern as they danced, Lil’ Buck was dress in white as was the lovely Lauren Lovette. As the stage cleared, Ms. Lovette was revealed to have collapsed, center stage, as a result of thestoryline’s Parisian riots of 2005. As she lays there, it is silent, then she starts to move and roll about the floor. The music has dimmed to reveal, rustling of paper. Only her movement creates sound, which means THAT TUTU IS MADE OF PAPER. A nod to a substrate that JR is known for, as well as the detailed thoughtfulness that reveals itself just as the curtain falls, the mass of dots, covering the dancers unitards have joined forces to reveal a bitmapped pair of eyes looking back at the audience. He has created a living photograph. He had just sniped the main stage of the Koch theater and we all gasp. With that, my mind was blown…what came next, is hard to truly express…
I was invited to join one of my good friends as she toured the costume shop at the NYCB. I was a pig in shit already, bobbins, swarovski crystals and tutus…and there it was. I nearly cried. It was THE PAPER TUTU!
It was just hanging there, waiting to be taken to storage, surrounded by Dew Drops and Marzipans. I was able to see up close the intricate boning and seaming that was executed on this tiny sculpture. That’s what it really was, a sculpture. Paper does not give, you have to allow for the folds and the puckers. The pleating and darting must be filled with structure and ease to allow for movement. I was amazed…
And with that, it was over. That was the full story. I experienced JR's Multi-dimensional piece of art from point A to B. Bravo.