Burberry’s Daniel Lee designs costumes for latest Wayne McGregor ballet
Burberry is collaborating with director and choreographer Wayne McGregor to create the costumes for his latest work for The Royal Ballet. The costumes will be designed by the company’s Chief Creative Officer, Daniel Lee.
It is such a pleasure – says Lee – and of course an honour, to collaborate on this extraordinary project with so remarkable a team. It’s always been a dream to create costumes for dance which is such a passion of mine.
Lee, 37, is the partner of dancer Roberto Bolle, La Scala and former American Ballet Theatre principal, who has often danced with The Royal Ballet. Lee was the creative director of the Italian company Bottega Veneta from 2018 until 2021, when he replaced Riccardo Tisci at Burberry.
The new production by McGregor will receive its world premiere on 9 June 2023 at the Royal Opera House. The one-act work – currently without a title – is set to a score by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir, with lighting design by McGregor’s habitual collaborator Lucy Carter, and set design by the late Cuban-born American artist Carmen Herrera, who died last year at 106. McGregor says:
For this extraordinary Royal Ballet project with the late, great minimalist artist Carmen Herrera we dreamt of collecting together a stellar team. Daniel Lee, an artist with unbridled imagination, is creating work of innovation, motion, and piercing beauty. And with his exceptional passion for all forms of dance, he felt like a natural ally. Together, with the Burberry team, we are working on something truly special – honouring Carmen whilst forging our own evolutionary path.
This will be McGregor’s 20th work for The Royal Ballet.
New Wayne McGregor ballet
9 – 17 June 2023
Tickets £9 – £105
The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera House, London. WC2E 9DD
Tickets are available to purchase from 13 April 2023 at www.roh.org.uk
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
