I created a class in collaboration with Fleisher Art Memorial and the Philadelphia Ballet called "Fiber Art: Inspired by Dance " By Dianne Koppisch Hricko

 

This past January, I was invited by Fleisher Art Memorial to create and lead a class in collaboration with the Philadelphia Ballet and internationally renowned costume designer Holly Hynes, as part of their community outreach program. This was a free workshop that took place over three sessions where students created textiles made with fiber reactive dyes. The first session of the class, the students were introduced to Holly Hines who spoke to them about her design process and her inspiration.   Each student was provided two fabric pieces to work with , one silk habotai and one viscose rayon and silk, both measuring 75" long. 

Many of the students in the class had never worked with dye medium prior to the class. They were invited to use a piece of music as an entry point for inspiration. I made sure to have sample pieces for the students to experiment with the dyes to see how they responded to the fabrics.

Here are some examples of the students finished pieces. 

By Amy Orr

By Caren Friedman

By Elisabeth Nickles

The next step of the process was to send the completed pieces over to the Philadelphia Ballet where dancers would be photographed while interacting and dancing with the fabrics. This allowed the dancers to explore and help inform “Behind the Stage Door,” an upcoming series of live performances by Philadelphia Ballet II. “Behind the Stage Door” is an interactive multimedia performance that explores the invisible forces that bring the ballet to life. Through a soundscape of diverse voices, original musical composition, dance, film, sculpture, and stage design, the piece illuminates the many personalities and experiences that underlie and make possible the transcendent art form that is the ballet.

Piece by Dianne Koppisch Photographed by Vikki Sloviter 

The photographs of student works will be featured at an exhibit at Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia running from April 29th through May 24th. 

I really enjoyed the partnership between myself, Fleisher, and The Philadelphia Ballet and hope to have the opportunity for more collaborations in the future.