{"id":634,"date":"2019-07-25T13:34:37","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T13:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/jean-paul-gaultier-fashion-freak-show-fiesta\/"},"modified":"2023-12-26T17:42:49","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T17:42:49","slug":"jean-paul-gaultier-fashion-freak-show-fiesta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/jean-paul-gaultier-fashion-freak-show-fiesta\/","title":{"rendered":"Jean Paul Gaultier: ‘Fashion Freak Show’ Fiesta"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fresh from its run in Paris\u2019 iconic Folies Berg\u00e8re cabaret venue, Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s Fashion Freak Show<\/em> hits London\u2019s Southbank Centre<\/a>. In this two-hour autobiographical revue, Gaultier outfits his myriad performers and masterfully orchestrates the posh variety show with the help of co-director Tonie Marshall, choreographer Marion Motin and music arranger Nile Rodgers. Drop by, catch the party vibes and gain a good glimpse into Gaultier\u2019s fanciful mind from 23 July – 2 August, 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On bringing his show to London, Gaultier says: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am honoured that my Fashion Freak Show will premiere at Southbank Centre. London is dear to my heart and a constant source of inspiration. I have been coming here since my youth and have been greatly influenced by British music, theatre and cinema throughout my career\u2026 and I keep coming back.<\/p>– Jean Paul Gaultier,
Fashion Freak Show<\/em> Creator, Writer, Director & Costume Designer <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"woman
Photo credit: Luke Austin<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Designer, Jean Paul Gaultier<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Couturier Jean Paul Gaultier was dubbed as the \u2018enfant terrible\u2019 early in his career, and he lists his most iconic creations<\/a> as the Corset Conique<\/em> \u2013 the conical bustier (made famous by Madonna) and La Jupe pour Homme<\/em> \u2018man-skirt\u2019. Gaultier acknowledges that all human beings have both masculine and feminine traits and designs clothing that allows both sexes to portray a mix of these characteristics. He also has a trademark La Marini\u00e8re<\/em> nautical look: white garments with horizontal blue stripes, which can be worn with or sans white sailing cap. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if you\u2019re not a\nfashionista, you\u2019ll recognize Gaultier\u2019s name from his perfume commercials that\nair on evening television. Currently, you\u2019ll see the black and white ad for\nScandal during which a woman strides into a restaurant (in heels, obviously)\nwith just a large suit coat over her undergarments. Her fellow upscale diners\nare shocked, admiring and admonishing with equal fervour \u2013 what a scandal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"man
Photo credit: BOBY<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fashion Freak Show<\/em> Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gaultier\u2019s\u00a0Fashion Freak Show<\/em>\u00a0is a lavish and outlandish affair, but it isn\u2019t overly self-indulgent. Or perhaps it has just been so thoughtfully conceived that it invites, rather than alienates. The performance art crossover pulls from fashion modeling, cinema, cabaret and a variety of dance styles and includes a dash of cinema \u2013 oftentimes with many medium overlapping. For instance, a trio performs a sultry, part-aerial duet using an off-kilter frame (an allusion to a canopy bed frame, perhaps?) \u2013 which is slowly pulled across stage in front of a video projection of models playing with the curtain of long ‘ballet pink’ satin ribbons of a dress. While it\u2019s not quite possible to take it in all the details, the audience is left to inspect the unique aspects that intrigue them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"silhouette
Photo credit: BOBY<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The show begins with a quick look into Jean Pierre Gaultier\u2019s childhood, as he doctors outfits to dress his teddy bear in a short film. Then a slew of dancing bears jubilantly tromps onto the stage and steals the spotlight. Another film shows a snippet from elementary school: Gaultier\u2019s teacher wants to punish Gaultier for sketching fashion designs in class, portrayed similarly to Ralphie\u2019s triumphant flashbacks in A Christmas Story.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other numbers\ncertainly aren\u2019t childlike, as frisky adults in risqu\u00e9 attire worship each\nother\u2019s bodies, burying their faces in each other\u2019s nether regions. Although\nslightly uncomfortable for prude members of the audience, it\u2019s empowering to\nsee the men and women exude equal power and agency in the transient couplings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Giant
Photo credit: Fashion Freak Show<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The show slows down as Scott Schneider, representing Gaultier\u2019s romantic and partner Francis Menuge, takes to the red carpet solo in a contemporary dance<\/a> number. He presses away from the floor, then crumples with the gravity of disease. But an exuberant pride parade follows in his wake with performers openly educating about AIDS amidst a rainbow confetti shower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of beautiful people strutting their stuff to hypnotic beats \u2013 including Gaultier\u2019s own \u201cHow To Do That\u201d track and RuPaul\u2019s \u201cSupermodel\u201d. Derek Zoolander would be very in his element here. Although, Frankie Say\u2019s \u201cRelax\u201d song made the playlist, so perhaps it\u2019s best that Zoolander didn\u2019t make an appearance\u2026 There were death drops, but from vogueing dance battles rather than assassination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jean
Photo credit: BOBY<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Gaultier comically pokes fun at himself and the fashion world with the help of the \u2018Fashion police\u2019, but he has an undeniably dedicated following. He bestows \u201clove yourself\u201d messages to the audience during the closing video and suggests we can \u201cuse fashion\u201d instead of \u201cbeing used by fashion\u201d, but the slogans don\u2019t seem quite so trite coming from a man who just put his whole life on stage for review. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Photo credit: Luke Austin<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In staging his autobiographical show at the Folies Berg\u00e8re, Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s childhood dream came true. And when people watch it, they might just dare to pursue their own bold dreams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[yasr_overall_rating null size=”large”]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you saw Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show<\/em>, what were you favourite numbers and outfits? We’d love to hear your opinions in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Disclosure: Dance Dispatches<\/em> received free admission to the show in exchange for an honest and professional performance review<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Fashion Freak Show’ pulls from fashion modeling and a variety of art forms, but essentially, it’s a party \u2013 and everyone is invited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[84,85,123,133,69,125,126,87],"class_list":["post-634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-show","tag-england","tag-europe","tag-france","tag-hip-hop-commercial","tag-london","tag-paris","tag-performing-arts","tag-uk"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/JPGFFS-photo-4.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":641,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634\/revisions\/641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}