Dior, Italy and France together under the sign of dance

«Dance is a discipline balancing energy and control, it both liberates and educates the body. In this scenario, my work as a fashion designer becomes a choreographic exercise itself». Maria Grazia Chiuri, Female Artistic Director at Dior, used these words to describe her bond with dance and her experience in designing stage costumes. A passion that she shares with Monsieur Christian Dior, the founder of the LVMH Maison. Dance and fashion have always been instruments to sculpt the bodies and shape movements as well as to forge a unique and vibrant aesthetic, such as that represented in the frames of Nuit Romaine, the dreamlike movie starring Eleonora Abbagnato and resulting from the synergies between the French Embassy in Italy, Teatro dell'Opera in Rome and the LVMH Maison.

The movie, directed by Angelin Preljocaj, is set in the heart of Palazzo Farnese, which serves as the French Embassy in Rome —the hometown of Maria Grazia Chiuri. Nox, the goddess of the night —portrayed by Eleonora Abbagnato, who is accompanied by principal dancer Friedemann Vogel— enters the palace and as she moves through its corridors, rooms and gardens she meets several characters who have lived there over the centuries. In a sequence of choreographies, the dancers of Teatro dell’Opera interact with the goddess. All the protagonists wear pieces designed by Dior's ateliers and produced partly in Paris and partly by the Teatro dell’Opera’s tailor.

Lace, cascades of pearls, handmade pictorial decorations reproduce the characters of Caracci's frescoes on the vault of Galleria Farnese. The movie, unveiled as a preview at the Embassy during an evening in which Eleonora Abbagnato was awarded the honor of Commandeurs des arts et des lettres by the French Ambassador to Italy, will be broadcast on Friday on the occasion of the International Day of Dance on Dior's YouTube channel and other social media platforms before making its debut at Teatro Costanzi on September 14. Maria Grazia Chiuri herself described to MFF her bond with dance, the tie between Italy and France and a creative process that took shape in the midst of the lockdown.

How was the project born?

It was born from the passion and research that I have in common with Eleonora Abbagnato, who was étoile at the Opéra national de Paris and director of the corps de ballet at Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, and from the desire to express the artistic value of the relationship between France and Italy.

You had already worked with Eleonora Abbagnato for the ballet Nuit Blanche. What brings you together besides being two famous Italians in France?

Our collaboration continues precisely in this common ground connecting us and Italy with France. After Nuit Blanche in 2019, the occasion is the project of Nuit Romaine that resulted from the synergies between the French Embassy in Rome, Teatro dell'Opera and Dior.

What do you remember most fondly about the process of designing the costumes for Nuit Romaine?

I like working on collaborative projects in which different aptitudes can meet. I am interested in remembering the work I did on costumes that reflects on the specificities of the dancers' bodies, by orchestrating the new definitions of contemporary femininity and masculinity through the choice of fabrics that best fit dance’s technical and aesthetic needs.

These creations are the result of the collaboration of two ateliers, Dior in Paris and Teatro dell'Opera in Rome. How was that exchange?

The exchange between the two ateliers has been incredible. I must say that uniting two declinations of savoir faire at such a high level with such important traditions was an experience that made us grow and gave us great satisfaction.

Dance is a universe that you have already explored and that links your work to that of Monsieur Dior. How do clothes change with movement and how can movement change clothes?

Dance is a passion that I share with Monsieur Dior. As for me, I love dance in all its expressions. Dance and fashion are performative acts that define bodies and teach us how to appropriate them.

How does the creative process of these costumes differ from that of a runway show?

They are two totally different projects. Designing a collection means giving expression to one's idea of fashion and making a series of outfits that must then arrive in stores and become elements of today's women's wardrobe. Designing costumes for a ballet means a direct confrontation with the choreographer, with the étoile and with the entire working group. A costume must convey a narrative intention, an atmosphere, and it must consider the need for the dancers to move freely and easily.

What is your relationship with dance?

I adore dance. I am fascinated by all its forms. It is a major source of inspiration for me. Dance is a discipline balancing energy and control, it both liberates and educates the body. In this scenario, my work as a fashion designer becomes a choreographic exercise itself, taking into account the complexity of the discipline to arrive at the costumes which, not only support movement, but are able to synthesize and enhance the concept of the entire project. (All rights reserved)