Imperfect Pointes takes to the stage in Copenhagen Made choreography competition
When Fiona Parker Lee of Royal Danish Ballet and Imperfect Pointes customer approached us to collaborate on the costumes for her Copenhagen Made 2023 choreography, we were thrilled to make this happen. Fiona is choreographing one of 7 new works at the Royal Danish Playhouse, where she is representing the Koreorama program.
“My first choice for dressing the dancers was Imperfect Pointes due to my belief in the importance of sustainability in all areas in the costumes I chose for this piece. The tights, leotards, and unitards are made out of recycled ocean plastics, and the headbands are repurposed fabric scraps. While humankind continues to grow more and more ambitious, we must remember our natural resources remain finite.
Imperfect Pointes aims for zero waste and does everything with the planet in mind"
Fiona then chose the Forest Ombre Collection and this was adapted for the stage along with matching skirts that Imperfect Pointes sourced from fellow small business Freda Silk to create bespoke handmade matching Forest Haze Ombré mesh skirts.
For the first time, we created the Algiers Unitard in Forest Ombre, along with a new Haina Camisole leotard without a front ruche.
(These two dancewear designs are bespoke to the performance so not available on website....so far)
“Ouroboros” will feature Antonio Russo wearing Po Delta tights, Kaitlin Zeis, and Anna Zavalloni of Tivoli Ballet Theatre wearing Haina and Lara leotards, and Alyssa Douglass and Philippa Gudsøe of the Royal Danish Ballet, wearing the Barcelona leotard and Algiers unitard.
Fiona told us:
“Ouroboros” is an ancient symbol of a snake with its tail in its mouth. It’s a symbol of unity and infinity. After listening to Korsakov’s Symphony No. 1 in E minor, I was overcome by the power, ferocity, and otherworldly quality of the music. Associations of dragons, classical mythology, and the cosmos inspired the movement, as well as the unique qualities of the dancers I had the privilege to work with: Antonio, Kaitlin, Anna, Alyssa, and Philippa.
In the piece, they each represent the different energies of earth, fire, water, wind, and ether. Many early philosophers believed these five elements were responsible for the constitution of our entire natural world. While they each have distinct qualities, there is a connecting thread between all of them. Just as the balance of different elements can create harmony, an imbalance of one can easily disrupt the rest.
Fiona Lee began her professional ballet career with the Royal Danish Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. She has since performed in numerous classical, neo-classical, and contemporary works with the company at both the Royal Danish Theatre and the Royal Opera House, as well as touring across Denmark. Fiona has also choreographed for the Pantomime Theater at Tivoli Gardens as a part of the Royal Danish Ballet Foundation’s Copenhagen Made 2022 festival. She was accepted into RDB’s Koreorama in 2023, where she has created work for the Royal Theater’s in-house blackbox theater and is continuing to hone her skills as a dancemaker.
Earlier, she trained at the School of American Ballet in New York City. She is also a trained yoga practitioner and on returning to the US this summer she taught yoga for young dancers at the 2023 Pacific Northwest Ballet School Summer Course.
Choreographer Fiona Parker Lee discussing the last minute on stage tweaks to 'Ouroboros' with dancer Antonio Russo.