Pictured above: 2008 Designer Shoes
by Kali Mellus of Kali Mellus Jewelry.
Pictured above: 2008 Designer Shoes
by Jared Gold of Black Chandelier
Pictured above: The blank canvas.
All photos by Jesse Coss.
Shoe-In
In 2009 Ballet West will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Ballets Russes—the legendary dance company founded by Serge Diaghilev that first introduced the 20th century icons Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel, and George Balanchine to the world stage. Ballet West will commemorate the Ballets Russes Centennial with Treasures of the Ballets Russes featuring Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Nijinska’s Les Biches, and Fokine’s rousing Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor. In the same spirit of collaboration and invitation that inspired Diaghilev at the start of the 20th century, Ballet West would like to reach out to the artistic community here in Utah to see what you have to offer now in the 21st century.
Our Proposal
We give you one pair of pointe shoes, and you give us back a piece of art. The theme for this project is “brave new world”—whatever that might mean to you. Every ballet in the 2008-2009 Ballet West season (with the exception of the Nutcracker) is new to Ballet West. The ballets travel from a magical island in the Caribbean to Japan to the Middle East to the mountainous terrain of the Caucasus to the perfumed salons of Paris. What we’re looking for is something fabulous and theatrical—something that speaks to the “brave new world” of our modern times. But what does that mean to you as an artist? Is your vision utopian? Dystopian? Fantastical? Globalized? Green? Or simply—Whatever?
You can do whatever you want with these shoes, including re-imagining or re-shaping them all together. Anything goes as long as the end result is transportable and non-perishable. We want to encourage you to explore all kinds of mediums and push the boundaries.
To be considered for Shoe-In please submit a brief statement about what you plan to do and a sketch of your plan online. Submissions will be reviewed by a committee and as many as 10 artists will be chosen to fully execute their design. Regrettably pairs of shoes are limited so we will be going with the most unique designs with the fastest execution.
So what happens to these shoes?
The shoes will be auctioned off at the Ballet West Fashion Show (May 30, 2009) with all proceeds going to Ballet West. In addition the shoes will be displayed at various Ballet West events preceding the fashion show. What you, the artist, get in return is exposure to thousands of our audience, donors, and patrons—many of whom buy and collect art as well as have an avid interest in promoting the arts here in Utah and the careers of Utah artists. But it doesn’t stop there. It is Artistic Director Adam Sklute’s vision to work with Utahan artists on future ballets. That could mean commissioning a score, collaborating on a “site specific” work, or even a new full-length story ballet with costumes and sets designed by a local artist. Anything can happen, but the first step is the shoes.
