This year marks the 60th anniversary of The National Ballet of Canada, and to celebrate, The Design Exchange will showcase a retrospective of ballet fashion, costume sketches and set designs in their major summer exhibition entitled 60 Years of Designing the Ballet. The launch party will take place on July 10th and we have tix to give away! (See bottom of post on how to enter.)

For lovers of dance and fashion, this is the ultimate exhibit. Archival tutus span back to the 1950s and both costume and set design will be showcased from an array of classic productions performed over the years, including Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote and MORE! 

Beyond the whimsical retrospective, which will surely capture creative transformation since The National Ballet’s formative years, The Tutu Project will exhibit 60 tutus dreamed up by a wide assortment of Canadian talent. Fashion designers David Dixon and Juma, artist Julie Moon, jewelery designer Shay Lowe and more will have their tutus displayed alongside tutus imagined by local school children. Who doesn’t love a tutu? WE ALL DO!

The exhibit will run until September 1st and beyond photographs, costumes and sketches on display, museum guests will be invited to try on tutus and test out their classic ballerina poses with video instruction. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee! This all sounds so dreamy.

Want to attend the opening night party? Follow us on Twitter and RT: 60 years of designing the ballet! @DesignExhchange #designofdance for a chance to win.

~ Jen McNeely