De La Renta Does Dance
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

Fashion and dance come together again this spring: The Martha Graham Dance Company has commissioned couture designer Oscar de la Renta to create new costumes for Graham’s “Deaths and Entrances.”
The 1943 work is loosely based on the lives of the three Bronte sisters, and the original costumes had a 19th-century feel. “The dance is very abstract, but the clothing is literal,” said co-artistic director Christine Dakin.
Literal, yes, but also designed with a 1940s interpretation of 19th-century style. And that’s in need of an update.”[Graham] wanted a contemporary take on the 1840s,” said Ms. Dakin. “As we look to keep her work in the present, we want to bring the costumes into the current interpretation of that look.”
When the company began searching for a designer who could look to the past with a contemporary eye, Vogue magazine’s editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley suggested Mr. de la Renta. Mr. Talley, the flashy fashionista, had a speaking role in last season’s “The Owl and the Pussycat” and is now the chairman of a newly created special events and projects committee for the company.
The creative process with Mr. de la Renta began several months ago, with a visit to the fashion designer’s studio, discussions, photographs, and videotapes. But we’ll have to wait until the company takes to the City Center stage in April see the results.
In Mr. de la Renta’s hands, the costumes are sure to dazzle, but this is a fairly challenging assignment. Martha Graham is a tough act to follow. She created a specific, unique aesthetic in her dances because she created not only the movement, but the costumes, too.
“From the very beginning, she had a vision for the costumes. She was always interested in the theatrical element of the costume,” said Ms. Dakin, who recalls having Graham drape her in fabric until the right image emerged. “She just got a piece of fabric and put it on you.”
Indeed, in some of her most striking works, Graham fully integrated the movement and the costume. There is a stunning section in “Sketches from Chronicle” during which a woman in a six-foot-long skirt dances and stands on raised platform. She kicks the fabric up, swoops in into her arms, and throws it around throughout the work. The extra-long skirt makes the dance – and it is not easy to learn.
“It’s heavy and bigger than life. The movement that you have to do is 200% what you have to do normally,” said Ms. Dakin, who performed the dance many times since joining the company in 1976. “It takes three or four months before you feel like its part of your skin.”
In a much different work, “Lamentation,” a dancer appears in a long tube that fully encases her body. Here, the costume forces the dancer to explore how the tube limits movement and how it defines movement. “She’s trying to get at this sense of loss, restriction, and grief,” said Ms. Dakin.
Though “Lamentation” is not scheduled for the upcoming season, “Sketches from Chronicle” is on the bill. And what is perhaps the more exciting news for pure dance fans, co-artistic directors Ms. Dakin and Terese Capucilli have commissioned their first new work. Choreographer and theater artist Martha Clark is working with a newly commissioned score and will “bring to life the theatrical imagery inspired by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya.” With new costumes, a world premiere, and loads of works from the repertory, there is much to look forward to in modern dance.
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And if that makes you eager to see some modern dance, here’s my suggestion: Check out a program of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that includes the revival of “Hidden Rites” (1973).Though this work contains some loopy costumes and questionable mythology, it also contains serious, searing modern dance. On Thursday night, several dancers gave riveting performances, especially Matthew Rushing’s solo.
What you see in this choreography is the Ailey company’s link to the techniques that make up modern dance. It’s a link that is not so apparent in some of the newer commissioned works, which rely heavily on eclectic dance sources, like hip-hop or social dancing. “Hidden Rites” gives you modern lines with purity and clarity. And with dancers this skilled, it’s breathtaking. “Hidden Rites” will be performed at City Center December 23 and 30 and January 1, 2005.
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Here’s a treat (and a beautiful gift) for you balletomanes out there. Dance lensman Roy Round has just published a new collection of his photographs of principals from American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. “Round About the Ballet” is full of studio shots – not performance photos – that highlight the personalities of the 15 leading dancers on stage today. Each dancer is featured with several photographs, a descriptive introduction about the dancer (written by William Cubberley and Joseph Carman), as well as a series of question and answers. The latter provides a real sense of these lively artists who spend so much time expressing themselves in movements rather than words.
Perhaps the best image in the book is the cover shot of ABT’s Vladimir Malakhov. In a costume from La Bayadere, Mr. Malakhov is captured in a back-bending jump that sends his body into the shape of a “c.” It’s an arresting shot, and the story of how Mr. Round got it is even better.
“I had done a session with Malakhov, and it was about three hours,” he said. “I had one frame left.” Mr. Round asked if there was anything the dancer would like to do, something that comes from within, that they hadn’t covered in the session. “He said, ‘I’ll do something, and I’m only going to do it once because it hurts my back.'”
Up went the dancer into this unbelievably feline jump – and amazingly, Mr. Round got the shot with one try. That shot alone is worth the price of this book. (Limelight Editions, $30)
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What a relief to sit through a musical without cringing!
The La Guardia High School of Music &Art and the Performing Arts – the “Fame” high school – is celebrating its 20th anniversary by performing “West Side Story.” And for a student performance, it’s really quite worth seeing. The Tony and Maria that I saw – Jonathan Shew and Karen Rodriguez- had strong, able voices, and they played the roles in earnest. The Jets had great timing and a playful style. The Sharks and their girls were appropriately sexy and Latin. The Robbins choreography was given solid treatment, and even the sets and lighting were respectable. The real treat is that this musical is performed with heart and soul. These kids put everything they have into their stage time. It’s a joy to watch. For $15, you can’t go wrong.
“West Side Story” plays December 17 & 18 at La Guardia Concert Hall ( 100 Amsterdam Avenue, 212-496-0700, ext. 2228).