Coco Chanel and Ballet Russes; Paul Poiret and Cora Laparcerie; Hussein Chalayan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Fashion and dance have been partnering up since the late 19th century, inextricably linked by their mutual focus on the body and self-expression. “Fashion is made to move in the world and dance is extreme motion,” states leading choreographer Stephen Petronio, who has done much to honor this relationship in the past decade, collaborating with Rachel Roy, (BLOOM, 2006), Adam Kimmel (I Drink the Air Before Me, 2009) and, this April, Jillian Lewis (Ghostown). In each case the designers have worked with Petronio to create pieces that do not over-embellish or weigh too heavily on the dancers but amplify the aesthetic dimension of the performance. “When the curtain goes up the first thing one sees is the garment, the idea cut in cloth… it is the first sign of what is to come,” he says. Last year the Ballet Russes celebrated its centenary, creating the perfect opportunity for haute fashion and dance collaborations to blossom: Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld designed a tutu for the English National Ballet, while the late Alexander McQueen created breathtaking crinolines (inspired by 18th century Oriental dress) for Russell Maliphant’s Eonnagata.

Stephen Petronio Company will perform Ghostown at New York’s Joyce Theatre from April 27 – May 2. In September London’s V&A museum hosts a major retrospective entitled Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballet Russes.