Blessed Are The Dancers, Blessed Is The Dionysian Pursuit
Featuring Los Angeles Ballet Via Issue 197, Rhythm is a Dancer
Written by
Photographed by
Warwick Saint
Styled by
Jyotisha Bridges
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Jonas wears FERRAGAMO shorts and talent's own footwear.
Ballet is, perhaps, the best metaphor for humanity’s bloody pursuit of perfection. Beneath the elegance of the seemingly floating dancer is the incessant, aggressive physicality, a demand on one’s body that is difficult to comprehend. Ballet is indeed an art form that relies almost entirely upon illusion, only given life after countless hours of class, study, and rehearsal.
See here, members of the Los Angeles Ballet—a company whose home city is familiar with such illusionary grandeur—a city that is all too familiar with the contrast between visual beauty and sometimes substantial pain.
Founded in 2004 by Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, the Los Angeles Ballet brings to the city romantic, classical, neoclassical, and contemporary variations of the nearly 600-year-old performance art. In 2022, Melissa Barak joined the team as the company’s first-ever solo Artistic Director, where she leads LAB in city-wide performances at stages like from Santa Monica and Redondo Beach to Hollywood and Pasadena.
Left to right: Poppy wears GAURAV GUPTAdress and talent’s own footwear. Jonas wears FERRAGAMO pants and talent’s own footwear. Aviva wears FENDIdress and talent’s own footwear.
A born Angeleno, Melissa Barak is a critically acclaimed choreographer and previous professional dancer herself. Her work extends beyond an aesthetic vision for the ballet and spills over into the company’s cultural community efforts. With Power of Performance (POP!), the company’s educational arts program, the organization offers thousands of free tickets to the underserved in LA. They also founded A Chance to Dance (ACTD), which offers complimentary dance classes for people of any age.
Of the recent fire tragedy, Barak says, “Los Angeles is hurting, whether you have been directly affected by the devastating fires or not. Our city has changed, and we all feel that, and we grieve what has been lost. Los Angeles Ballet hopes to be able to offer some respite from all of the loss,” she continues, “and as a performing arts organization, we offer the space to create new special memories. We are looking forward to seeing audiences again at our upcoming production of Cinderella, as art really does help to heal, and amidst all of the destruction and chaos, hope and inspiration can be found in the house of a theater.”
Left to right: Julianne wearsANAMIKA KHANAcorset and skirt and talent’s own footwear. Lilly wears CATHERINE REGEHR dress and talent’s own footwear.
Left to right: Aviva wears ANAMIKA KHANNAdress and talent’s own footwear. Paige wears GUAIAV GUPTA dress and talent’s own footwear. Poppy wears MILLA NOVAdress and talent’s own footwear. Julianne wearsCATHERINE REGEHR dress and talent’s own footwear. Jonas wears FENDIpants and talent’s own footwear. Lilly wears CATHERINE REGEHR dress and talent’s own footwear.
Paige wears LOEWE dress and talent’s own footwear.
Left to right: Lilly wears SANDRO dress. Poppy wears GAURAV GUPTA dress. Jonas wearsFENDItop. Aviva wearsFENDIdress.
Left to right: Aviva wears ANAMIKA KHANNAdress. Julianne wears CATHERINE REGEHRdress and talent’s own footwear. Poppy wears MILLA NOVA dress and talent’s own footwear.
Left to right: Poppy wears GAURAV GUPTA dress and talent’s own footwear. Jonas wears FERRAGMO shorts and talent’s own footwear. Lilly wears SANDRO dress and talent’s own footwear. Julianne wears MOSCHINOdress and talent’s own footwear.
Left to right: Lilly wears CATHERINE REGEHR dress. Poppy wearsGAURAV GUPTAdress. Aviva wears FENDI dress and talent’s own footwear. Julianne wearsAKIRA dress and talent’s own footwear. Paige wearsMILLA NOVA corset andANAMIKA KHANNA skirt and talent’s own footwear.
Jonas wears FERRAGAMO shorts and talent's own footwear.
Left to right: Jonas wears FENDI pants. Lilly wears SANDRO dress. Paige wears LOEWE dress. Aviva wears ANAMIKA KHANNA dress and talent's own footwear. Julianne wears CATHERINE REGEHR dress and talent's own footwear.
Left to right: Poppy wears MILLA NOVAdress and talent’s own footwear. Jonas wears FENDI pants and talent’s own footwear. Paige wears GUAIAV GUPTA dress and talent’s own footwear. Aviva wears ANAMIKA KHANNA dress and talent’s own footwear. Lilly wearsCATHERINE REGEHRdress and talent’s own footwear.
Left to right: Aviva wears FENDI dress and talent’s own footwear. Poppy wears GAURAV GUPTA dress. Lilly wears SANDRO dress and talent’s own footwear. Jonas wears FERRAGAMO shorts. Julianne wears MOSCHINO dress. Paige wears MILLA NOVA corset and ANAMIKA KHANNA skirt.