“Everything was beautiful at the ballet”
In 2024, Chanel continued to nurture its close relationship with the world of the arts by supporting the creation of the Junior Ballet, as a major patron of the Paris National Opera. The Junior Ballet brings together young dancers from around the world to master classical and contemporary styles of dance. This year, as part of this life-changing programme, Chanel gives these young ingenues a chance to perform in Asia.
On the 18th and 19th of November, Chanel hosted an exclusive performance at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur. A historic location steeped in meaning, it is Malaysia’s first concert hall built specifically for classical music, and home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
An evening of ballet in Kuala Lumpur
The programme included ensemble performances by the Junior Ballet, including Allegro brillante by George Balanchine, Mi Favorita by José Martinez, as well as a new work by choreographer Julian Nicosia, Eternal Rift, for which the dancers wore costumes specially created by Chanel.
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- The Junior Ballet performs Julian Nicosia’s “Eternal Rift”
Inspired by the tension between fragility and resilience and themes of renewal, the costumes are black unitards adorned with refined golden embroidery of wheat. The performance also utilised an oversized coat with contrast piping that consumes the body. This enveloping silhouette allowed for Nicosia to stage a captivating sequence, in which two dancers under the coat–one with their top half exposed, the other with their legs emerging from beneath the material–performed a disjointed but synchronised movement. Eternal Rift’s choreography is complemented perfectly by the costume, lighting, and expert staging to become a deeply moving piece about transformation.
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- Sae Eun Park and Francesco Mura
Roxane Stojanov and Antonio Conforti
The evening also presented other ballets by two pairings comprising Paris Opera Ballet Étoile and Premier Danseurs: À la manière de… by Jean-Guillaume Bart by Roxane Stojanov and Antonio Conforti, and the Act II Giselle pas de deux by Sae Eun Park and Francesco Mura. A true treat for fans of the ballet and an eye-opener for those who are experiencing this art of movement for the first time, this effort is a milestone for both Chanel and the Malaysian cultural scene.
