Merce Cunningham, 'Scenario' (1997)

In 1997, choreographer Merce Cunningham invited Rei Kawakubo to collaborate on the dance piece ‘Scenario’. At the time of the collaboration Kawakubo had just released her Spring-Summer 1997 ‘Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body’ collection which she adapted for ballet by adjusting the seams and fabrics to allow the dancers to move freely. Interestingly, the collection impacted the outcome of the dance itself as dancers intuitively adapted to and responded to the garments. A perfect example of symbiosis between fashion and dance, and of how collaboration can be more than the sum of its parts.