Ezra Hurwitz directs for Miami City Ballet & GapStudio
Director Ezra Hurwitz helms the promo for Miami City Ballet’s staging of Jerome Robbins’ NY Export: Opus Jazz, with costumes reimagined by GapStudio.
)
Director Ezra Hurwitz’s latest collaboration with the Miami City Ballet (MCB) features costumes designed by Zac Posen, Executive Vice President and Creative Director of Gap Inc., through GapStudio.
Posen was invited by The Robbins Rights Trust and Miami City Ballet to reimagine the new costumes for MCB’s presentation of Jerome Robbins’ N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz, premiering October 16. The project is expected to mark the first authorised redesign of the iconic ballet’s original costumes for the stage, bringing a contemporary fashion perspective to one of American dance’s most celebrated works.
Bringing the ballet to life beyond the stage, Miami City Ballet enlisted two-time Emmy Award-winning director Hurwitz to create a visual campaign celebrating the intersection of fashion and dance. Hurwitz is represented by m ss ng p eces, and the shoot was produced with RundaShow Productions in Miami. The campaign brings together the artistry of MCB’s dancers and Posen's costume designs through Hurwitz's distinctive creative lens, exploring the relationship between movement and self-expression.
"What could be better than bringing together the work of Jerome Robbins, with the dancers of Miami City Ballet, and the creative force that is Zac Posen and GapStudio,” said Hurwitz. “While the 1958 Robbins ballet , N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz, is truly a timeless work, my hope is that this project breathes new life into the masterpiece- and that we engage new audiences around what ballet can look like, and what it can make you feel"
Credits
View on-
- Production Company Run Da Show
- Director Ezra Hurwitz
-
-
Unlock full credits and more with a shots membership
Credits
View on- Production Company Run Da Show
- Director Ezra Hurwitz
- Editing Wildchild Content
- VFX Finalbyte
- Color Royal Muster
- Production Designer Zac Posen
- Executive Producer Marco Sroka
- Producer Daniela Cisneros
- DP Sam Brave
- Editor Ian Wallace / Editor
- VFX Artist Ira Morris
- Colorist Maria Carretero
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Production Company Run Da Show
- Director Ezra Hurwitz
- Editing Wildchild Content
- VFX Finalbyte
- Color Royal Muster
- Production Designer Zac Posen
- Executive Producer Marco Sroka
- Producer Daniela Cisneros
- DP Sam Brave
- Editor Ian Wallace / Editor
- VFX Artist Ira Morris
- Colorist Maria Carretero
First performed in 1958, Opus Jazz was radical in both movement and style. Ballet dancers appeared in t-shirts, pants, and sneakers, capturing the rhythm of jazz, the energy of American youth, and the grit of New York City. Nearly seven decades later, that vision finds an evolved expression through GapStudio, drawing on Gap’s signature casual style and its longstanding relationship with music, dance, and culture.
Individuality is central to the creative approach, with each of the 16 dancers given a distinct look that contributes to a cohesive visual world and captures the spontaneity and energy of youth coming together. Gap signatures, including denim, T-shirts, button-down shirts, hoodies, and relaxed trousers, form the foundation of the wardrobe, with technical adaptations and modified construction allowing for the freedom of movement required by Robbins’ choreography, known for celebrating the spirit of youth, individuality, and community movement.
Inspired by Henri Matisse’s iconic Jazz series, the color palette pairs familiar hues of streetwear, denim, black, and neutrals with bold, saturated hues that reflect the vibrancy of Miami. The costumes culminate in a finale that brings the full cast together in white T-shirts and sneakers, a nod to Robbins’ original vision and a final expression of community, individuality, and unity.
For Posen, the project carries a creative full-circle moment. Robbins was a true original, and his vision of Opus Jazz, rooted in T-shirts, sneakers, and the everyday wardrobe of American youth, shares a natural language with the Gap essentials that have defined the brand for generations. His choreography, with its energy, attitude, and spontaneity, also echoes the spirit of dance that has long been part of Gap’s visual identity. Bringing those influences together through the lens of GapStudio creates a natural dialogue between an iconic American work and a new generation.
“Jerome Robbins called it ‘a ballet in sneakers.’ There was something incredibly modern about his vision of dancers in T-shirts and sneakers, capturing the energy and individuality of young people in New York City. That is the Gap vocabulary. Our ads have always danced,” said Zac Posen, Executive Vice President and Creative Director of Gap Inc. “GapStudio is the highest expression of creativity at Gap. To be invited to reimagine the costumes for such an iconic work, while honoring the radical spirit of Robbins’ original vision with the Miami City Ballet, is incredibly meaningful to me.”
“We’re thrilled to have GapStudio bring a new vision to the costuming for N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz,” says Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Gonzalo Garcia. “Zac’s vibrant, playful designs are a perfect match for the youthful energy, individuality, and unmistakable spirit of Robbins’ ballet.”
