Designers, models, artists, performers, and musicians have been working for months in preparation for “Mythos: The Paonia Fashion Show,” happening April 11 and 12 at the Paradise Theatre.
Billed as a “multimedia fashion and performance spectacular” by organizers, “Mythos” is more than just a fashion show. The event invites artists to explore the world of myth—especially Greek classics—through fashion, music, movement, theater, and visual art. Organizers have also used this year’s show as an opportunity to provide community education for both youth and adults.
Transcription
James Barrs
On a Thursday evening at the launch pad in Paonia, dancers rehearse for the upcoming Mythos fashion show. Co director and choreographer Rose Costello leads dancers around the room. They're moving and contorting their bodies in strange shapes to a mix of dark, upbeat industrial music and eerie sounds.
Alicia Michelsen
This is a total multimedia show. It's a fashion show, but there's a live band, there's live musical performances, there's acting, there's dancing, there's burlesque performances. Like, it really encompasses so much more than just models walking down a Runway.
James Barrs
The show provides opportunities not only for designers and musicians to showcase their creativity, but also for people who aren't regular performers to get on stage.
Alicia Michelsen
I think it's also an accessible way for people to participate in performing arts that aren't. Maybe more, you know, they're not a musician, they're not an actor. But having the self possession and courage and confidence to walk down a Runway is. It's pretty incredible and is also a very gratifying experience.
James Barrs
As well as providing a space for people to express themselves, organizers have also been working on community outreach and education. Here's the Learning Council's Alicia Michelson and Rose Costello.
Rose Costello
We've used the fashion show as an opportunity to offer community education for youth and for adults. So we have two lines that will be in the show, a youth line and a senior line, that are a result of two classes that have been running for the last few months in coordination with Arts for All and the Learning Council and the Creative Coalition.
Alicia Michelsen
I just saw a preview of the kids line and it's amazing. It's amazing. It's a huge class. We have 14 kids in the class. Like, just incredible what the kids are doing.
Rose Costello
So impressive to see. Like, they're putting zippers in. I'm like, wow.
Alicia Michelsen
Yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah, it's really. And also to not only design and create something, but to model it and walk it down the Runway at 1012 years old is pretty amazing.
James Barrs
The Paonia fashion show began around 15 years ago with different themes and collaborations each year, notably including Elemental Rising in 2015 and Zeitgeist Circus in 2016, which featured handmade puppets and visuals in collaboration with elsewhere artist residency. After a few years without a fashion show, organizers are reviving the tradition with a show based on the idea of Mythos, which typically refers to a collection of interconnected myths and stories.
Alicia Michelsen
It's using these myths that we all know, but also having different takes on them and different ways of viewing them that are maybe more empowering.
Stuart Kramer
The general story that we're following is Persephone being captured and married to Hades and so she spends winter in the underworld. I think portraying the underworld is not being synonymous with hell, like the Christian version of hell, but more so like the dark, fungal hidden side of the world.
James Barrs
Designer Stuart Kramer and Paul Kimpling are using non traditional and reclaimed materials to create their pieces for this year's show.
Stuart Kramer
I'm using a bunch of old sunglasses. I'm using like candy bar wrappers, I'm using paper mache, all free stuff.
Paul Kimpling
I have been collecting used shower curtains, which is kind of disgusting. I washed them first, but my whole concept was making inflatable ware. I've just really enjoyed through the years moving into using like materials that could end up in a landfill and trying to find some kind of repurpose for them.
James Barrs
Organizers made the decision to pay artists this year, which has not happened yet at these fashion shows.
Rose Costello
Of course we're not going to be able to compensate them really fairly for their as much labor as they've done. However, the money that's coming in is all being cycled back into the artists who are participating, the leadership team. Some organizations use an event like this as a fundraiser, but we're really using this event as a way to circulate resources back into our arts community.
James Barrs
Co director and choreographer Rose Costello is hopeful that the event will continue for years to come.
Alicia Michelsen
The idea is to really continue to make this a self sustaining event that we can keep putting on year after year and it can continue to enhance the community financially and creatively. We've put so much work into getting it back up and running and I think we all want to see it continue you on. So just feeling so grateful for the community support.
James Barrs
More information is available at thelearningcouncil.org for KVNF Mountain Grown Community Radio, I'm James Bars.
