The New School Presents RECONSTRUCTION 3.0 Inspired by Louis Vuitton Today

As an exciting conclusion to New York Fashion Week, students from Parsons The New School for Design, The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and the Joffrey Ballet School's Jazz and Contemporary Program will debut Reconstruction 3.0: Life is a Journey, an evening of live performances featuring original music, dance and fashion inspired by Louis Vuitton and its heritage of travel. The invitation-only performance will take place today, February 14 at the Manhattan Movement and Art Center, just a few blocks from the tents at Lincoln Center.

This cross-disciplinary initiative began this past fall with five teams each consisting of a Parsons fashion designer, a New School Jazz composer, and Joffrey Ballet School choreographer. These teams were tasked to develop a live performance consisting of an original music score, choreography, and conceptual garments that reflect the theme "Life is a Journey." The garments are reconstructed from previous Louis Vuitton ready-to-wear and textiles.

"Reconstruction 3.0 represents our third collaboration with Louis Vuitton, and once again we've pushed the boundaries-this time bringing together our students with composers and choreographers," said Simon Collins, dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons. "It has been amazing to work with such great collaborators as Louis Vuitton, New School Jazz and the Joffrey Ballet School. The inspiring results reflect the richness and originality of this effort."

The performances will be reviewed by a panel of experts from the worlds of dance, music and fashion. This includes Simon Collins, Lanessa Elrod, Vice President of Merchandising for Louis Vuitton North America, choreographer Gus Solomons Jr., composer Laura Kaminsky, and Zanna Roberts Rassi, senior fashion editor at Marie Claire. One team will be awarded a trip to Paris to experience craftsmanship and artistic expression first hand at Louis Vuitton's atelier and the historic home of the Vuitton family in Asnières, France.

"The collaborative works presented as part of Reconstruction 3.0 reflect a wide range of dance, music and design approaches," said Michael Blake, director of the Jazz and Contemporary program at the Joffrey Ballet School. "Elements of jazz, classical, and contemporary styles and techniques are complimented and juxtaposed in the music, costume, and dance of each team's conceptual ideas of 'Life is a Journey'."

"The New School Jazz composers were so excited to take part in this collaborative adventure," said Jane Ira Bloom, an acclaimed Jazz saxophonist and composer, who is a long time faculty member at New School Jazz. "I encouraged them to embrace the ambiguity and surprise that accompanies all innovative collaborations. They and their creative partners in dance and fashion took to the process with an ease that speaks to a cross disciplinary openness completely natural to their generation."

Parsons The New School for Design is a global leader in art and design education, with programs that span the full range of disciplines. With the launch of its fashion design program in 1906, Parsons is credited with the birth of Seventh Avenue, the epicenter of American fashion. Parsons offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design, Associate Degrees in Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing, and a Master of Fine Arts Program in Fashion Design and Society that was initiated through the support of Parsons alumna Donna Karan. Parsons has educated generations of leading American fashion designers, including Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Isaac Mizrahi, Tracy Reese, Narciso Rodriguez and Anna Sui; and rising talents Prabal Gurung, Derek Lam, Ohne Titel, Thakoon Panichgul, Proenza Schouler, Vena Cava, Alexander Wang, and Jason Wu. For more information, visit www.newschool.edu/parsons.

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music is the musical manifestation of The New School and its legacy. Steeped in progressive tradition while moving forward into new frontiers of sound and experimentation, New School Jazz is a rarity among conservatory music schools. With instructors who are active, professional musicians and the backing of a major university, the school provides its students with the leeway and encouragement to break through artistic barriers, the counsel of veterans in maneuvering through the terrain of the music world, and a solid academic foundation to sustain and enrich their efforts and evolution. For more information, visit www.newschool.edu/jazz.

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