Dance as movement and a metaphor for freedom, dance as a language and an expression of beauty: while the few dance lessons that Gabrielle Chanel took with Isadora Duncan and then Caryathis confirmed her predisposition for precise movements, her collaboration with the greatest artists and choreographers of her time was more about elective affinities.
Chanel and Dance, from yesterday to today
In 1913, Gabrielle Chanel experienced a genuine aesthetic shock when she first saw Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, choreographed by the dancer Nijinsky, a member of Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. It was through Misia Sert, a Polish-born socialite, pianist and muse to the Parisian avant-garde, that the designer went on to meet Diaghilev in person, becoming his friend, costume designer and patron. When the founder of the Ballets Russes struggled to fund the revival of The Rite of Spring, Gabrielle Chanel decided to help, enabling the ballet - that had so impressed her a few years earlier - to resume performances at the end of 1920.
In 1924, Gabrielle Chanel, who always focused on comfort and freedom of movement in her creations, put her vision to the service of dance by making the costumes for Le Train bleu, produced by the Ballets Russes and choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska. A scathing celebration of the trend for sports and sea-swimming at the time, the show featured the idle rich cavorting on a beach. The libretto was written by Jean Cocteau, the music by Darius Milhaud, the sets by Henri Laurens, and the main curtain and programme by Pablo Picasso. Instead of designing conventional ballet costumes, Gabrielle Chanel dressed the protagonists in her own creations, thrusting modern, functional fashion onto the stage in a context of everyday life. In the years that followed, the couturière continued to create for the dance world, from the costumes for Apollon Musagète, composed by Stravinsky and choreographed by Balanchine, to those for Bacchanale - imagined in collaboration with Salvador Dalí - but which never made it across the Atlantic, as war broke out before the ballet opened in New York in 1939.
Karl Lagerfeld was passionate about all the arts and frequently collaborated with choreographers. He designed Elena Glurjidze's outfit for La mort du Cygne in 2009 and the costumes for the pas de deux in B/olero, an excerpt from Decadance by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, presented at the Opening Gala of the 2018-2019 dance season, when it entered the repertoire of the Opéra national de Paris. This tradition continued under Virginie Viard, with the creation of costumes for ballets such as Variations by Serge Lifar, Grand Pas Classique choreographed by Victor Gsovsky to music by Daniel-François E. Auber and Singularités plurielles by Nicolas Paul.
Ever committed to contemporary creation and dance, Chanel encourages unique and daring projects by both emerging figures and leading choreographers. One example is Blanca Li's Bal de Paris, an immersive work that the House also supports internationally. This virtual reality live show won an award in 2021 at the 78th Venice Film Festival in the 'Best Virtual Reality Experience' category.
In September 2025, Chanel accompanied the creation of a show at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris where two ballets were presented: Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, choreographed by Pina Bausch and performed by dancers from the École des Sables, and Joséphine, a new solo piece imagined and danced by Germaine Acogny. A Franco-Senegalese dancer and choreographer, this pioneer of contemporary dance has already collaborated with Chanel on its 2022/23 Métiers d'art show in Dakar, along with dancers from her school.
The House is dedicated to supporting dance institutions and festivals around the world. Chanel is notably a partner of New York's BAAND Together Dance Festival, where five of New York's most iconic dance companies - the Ballet Hispánico, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, the American Ballet Theatre, the New York City Ballet and the Dance Theatre of Harlem - share the spotlight and an open-air stage as part of the Lincoln Center's annual Summer for the City programme. The House is a partner of Camping Asia, an initiative of the Centre National de la Danse organised in Taipei with the Taipei Performing Arts Centre. An event designed as an international choreographic platform, it has been held annually in France since 2015. Some of the world's most renowned companies also benefit from Chanel's support, including the English National Ballet in London and The Australian Ballet in Melbourne.
CHANEL and the Paris Opera
Continuing the momentum initiated by Gabrielle Chanel, the House of Chanel has been Patron of the Paris Opera's Dance season Opening Gala since 2018. In 2023, Chanel further strengthened its commitment to the Paris Opera by becoming a Major Patron, with the aim of supporting the institution in all its artistic projects.
On 12th November of that same year, the artist JR unveiled Act II of his project Retour à la Caverne, presented on the façade of the Palais Garnier. At his invitation, choreographer Damien Jalet created Chiroptera, a masterful performance bringing together 153 dancers from all over Europe. Amandine Albisson, Étoile at the Paris Opera Ballet, took part in a costume designed by Chanel, while the House was also involved in the production of all the costumes for this collective work.
More recently, Chanel designed thirteen costumes for Hofesh Shechter's Red Carpet in collaboration with the Opera's ateliers. Inspired by the world of evening wear and celebration, they bring instantly recognisable characters to life.
Every year, the traditional Défilé du Ballet, a solemn and poetic moment, brings together all the dancers on stage, from the École to the Étoiles. For this procession, the Étoiles wear tutus, corsets and tiaras designed in a creative dialogue between CHANEL, the Opera ateliers and the House of Lesage, an embroiderer belonging to the Métiers d'art. These exceptional costumes, veritable stage companions, accompany each new choreographic season.
In 2025, the Opening Gala marked a new milestone: the dancers of the Junior Ballet took part in the parade dressed in tutus created through a collaboration between the Opera ateliers and the feather and flower specialist Lemarié. This places young talent at the heart of a tradition that echoes the vocation of the Junior Ballet, which was launched in spring 2024 with the support of the House. Imagined as a veritable talent incubator, open to young dancers from both the Opéra's Dance School and diverse backgrounds, this new era demonstrates Chanel's commitment to the transmission and future of dance.
In September 2025, the Ministry of Culture announced the launch of the Nouvel Air, Nouvelle Ère renovation programme. As an Exceptional Patron of the Opera's Building Works, Chanel is supporting this vast project, which will begin in 2027 and involve all four sites of the Paris National Opera: the Palais Garnier, the Opéra Bastille, the Nanterre Dance School and the Ateliers Berthier.
Through these partnerships, Chanel celebrates its active and enduring relationship with the world of dance that dates back to the early 20th century.