Tonight the L.A. Dance Project will have a special performance for it’s annual gala. For one-night-only Benjamin Millepied, married to American actress Natalie Portman, returns to the stage after a four year hiatus, accompanied by his former New York City Ballet partner Janie Taylor. The new work from the L.A. Dance Project founder and Paris Opera Ballet director will feature costume designs by Berluti’s creative director Alessandro Sartori.  This marks the first collaboration between Millepied and Berluti for the L.A. Dance Project.

The idea for the project was to take some of artist Rufus Wainwright’s songs from his album ‘Day and Night,’ which are quite dark piano and voice pieces, and create a dance duet to tell the story of a journey by a couple. Sartori designed Millepied’s costumes, which resemble the relaxed modern suits from the Berluti ready-to-wear collection, to stretch to accommodate Millepied’s movements.

“It’s my first time designing for the stage,” said Sartori, “It has the masculine look of a handmade outfit but at the same time the construction, design and technical material are very modern.”

Special Lycra fabric and thread were created and all the traditional construction elements like shoulder pads and linings were eliminated. “It’s sort of a modern-day Fred Astaire,” said Millepied, who also commissioned Sartori to design costumes for his next Paris Opera ballet in February.  Sartori designed the suit in black, burgundy and navy, the latter of which Millepied will wear this evening.