Waterdances / Yes Poems – a clothing project for dancing in the Swiss Alps

Swiss Alps, Susch Museum, embodied nature, ecofeminism – these are the buzzwords that came to mind from a conversation with Maria Zimpel, who again invited my studio for us to design an outfit for her new contemporary dance choreography. Unique – because it is a project entirely done in the open air, in the Alps – in icy streams, on sharp rocks and on soft undergrowth. Being surrounded by wildlife, being active in the natural environment, are very close to my heart. That’s why I reacted enthusiastically to the invitation to cooperate.

It was clear to me from the beginning that for this project I would propose to develop an outfit that would be created with as much respect for nature as possible. This is the approach I use every day in my work as a designer, it corresponds to my values and those of my studio. At the same time, I know that it is consistent with some of the most important trends of the future, such as Nature-Focused, and Implementing Sustainability.

Made in Switzerland, at the Susch Museum, the Waterdances / Yes Poems choreography is uniquely consistent with these values and trends. It is a kind of manifesto, or encouragement to reflect on the relationship between the human body in motion and wildlife. It also brings back thoughts about the relationship between man’s approach to the environment and the social treatment of women.

Waterdances / Yes Poems (photo. Claudio von Planta)

Therefore, I developed the concept of the outfit based on minimalism, natural materials and the principle of reuse. At the same time, in the design of the costumes, I took into account the relationship of the human body – the female body with the environment, in terms of sensual, functional and ideological. Based on this idea, we developed a modular set of two outfits in the studio – Leenee Suit and Leenee Feelm Suit.

Waterdances / Yes Poems (fot. Claudio von Planta)

As always in projects, I was keen on the best possible implementation of sustainable principles. We created the Leenee Suit from more than 96% natural yarn with technical properties of the. The Leenee Feelm Suit top, on the other hand, was created in accordance with the reuse – reused material that was previously used in another garment. The bottom of this outfit is made of 93% natural yarn with technical properties.

Waterdances / Yes Poems (photo. Claudio von Planta)

Costumes for contemporary dance require the selection of specialized materials and thoughtful cuts to allow freedom of movement and expression. Thanks to our experience in the sports industry and previous projects for contemporary dance, we have developed costumes that provide comfort while dancing, fit in with the choreography and complement the dancer’s body in motion and the surrounding landscape.

Waterdances / Yes Poems (photo. Claudio von Planta)

Maria Zimpel’s choreography Waterdances / Yes Poems, in the form of a film made in collaboration with Claudio von Planta, premiered at Kampnagel in Hamburg in late 2021. It will also be possible to view it in the future, and I will announce online screenings of the full film on my Instagram account. You can currently view the trailer online Waterdances / Yes Poems by Maria Zimpel on Vimeo .

Dorota Kabala|We design for physical culture

Waterdances / Yes Poems (photo. Claudio von Planta)