Dior Shares Free Online Ballet Lessons To Get Us Pirouetting Through Lockdown

Dior has posted virtual dance tutorials designed to “awaken senses lulled by lockdown”. The mesmerising ballet lessons and movement workshops are led by principal dancers and choreographers from Paris Opera Ballet and Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. “Take advantage of this opportunity to learn how to feel and respond to the music, how to improvise and to perfect some key positions,” urges the French house, which has deep roots in the performative art form.

Monsieur Dior treasured the “hypnotic discipline” and, in addition to finding inspiration for Dior designs within dance, costumed the Roland Petit ballet Treize Danses during his lifetime. Current creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri has continued this special relationship and, last year, designed the utopian costumes for the Nuit Blanche ballet at the Rome Opera House. The poetic production went on to open the Dior spring/summer 2020 show in Shanghai.

Dior’s three new online masterclasses are divided into two parts, starting with a warm-up “that corresponds to what we call the bar for a classical ballet dancer”, explains professional dancer and friend of the house, Sébastien Bertaud. And then, a second section of guided improvisation, “meaning we’ll give you a few suggestions to really make the most of this time.” Bertaud assures tentative movers that the foundation-level postures can be finessed by holding onto a chair or table in lieu of classic studio equipment. As for pointe pumps and tutus to plié and pirouette in? Leggings and socks will suffice.

The intimate lessons are not the only virtual gesture Dior has made to connect with consumers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The house uploaded a video tour of its magnificent Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition to YouTube, so that viewers can immerse themselves in the brand history from the comfort of their own homes. “Fashion is not an image, it’s an experience,” Chiuri told British Vogue during a preview of the V&A’s version of the landmark Musée des Arts Décoratifs exhibit. “We’re all different, we all have different styles, but Dior is a place where all women can find a place.”