The Korea Herald

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Chanel meets ballet 'Modance' to come Korea in April

By Hwang Dong-hee

Published : Feb. 15, 2024 - 16:52

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Dancers perform Dancers perform "Gabrielle Chanel." (InArts Production)

In a collaboration between the French fashion house Chanel and the world of dance, a ballet performance will get a Korean premiere in April.

"Modanse" is scheduled to be staged at the Seoul Arts Center on April 17 and 19-21, starring the renowned ballerina Svetlana Zakharova, according to InArt Production on Wednesday.

The title "Modanse" is a combination of the French words "mode," meaning fashion, and "danse," meaning dance.

The 120-minute performance is presented as a double bill comprising two episodes -- "Gabrielle Chanel" and "Come un Respiro."

The production premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in June 2019.

Svetlana Zakharova (InArts Production) Svetlana Zakharova (InArts Production)

Choreographed by Yuri Possokhov, "Gabrielle Chanel" tells the life story of the iconic fashion designer and entrepreneur, Gabrielle Coco Chanel.

Virginie Viard, creative director of Chanel since 2019, participated in costume design, showcasing over 80 stage costumes.

The performance elegantly integrates Chanel's signature jersey dresses, tweed jackets, skirts, little black dresses and suits with the graceful movements of the dancers.

The second piece "Come un Respiro (Like a Breath)," choreographed by Mauro Bigonzetti, features sensuous stage costumes reminiscent of corsets and Handel’s Baroque music, creating a harmonious contrast.

Svetlana Zakharova, the Ukrainian-born prima ballerina from the Bolshoi Ballet and an etoile of the La Scala Theatre Ballet, takes on the lead role in both episodes. It has been three years since Zakharova last visited Korea in October 2019. She is set to perform with soloists from the Bolshoi Ballet.

Tickets for the performance are on sale, with early bird discounts available until Tuesday.