In 2020/21, when theatres closed and the world paused, balletLORENT’s tour of The Lost Happy Endings was brought to a halt. In the face of uncertainty, Artistic Director Liv Lorent turned to collaboration as a lifeline—and out of that, Parade was born. Created as an outdoor dance performance and film, Parade became a vital project for our freelance dancers and creative team, offering a way to continue making and sharing work when performance spaces everywhere were shuttered.
“All of us had our working way of life reduced to an often solitary and solo existence,” Liv reflects. “Parade was made together in hope and in defiance.”
Set in a large rural garden in Northumberland, Parade asked: When would we next fill concert halls and theatres? When could dancers touch, lift, and be close again? We didn’t have answers—but we made a show anyway. And at the centre of its haunting visual world was the costume design of Nasir Mazhar.
One gothic black costume from Parade—dramatic, sculptural, and moving like a shadow coming to life—would go on to have a second life none of us could have predicted.
“It was a huge privilege to have been given the freedom by Liv to create a costume like this,” says Nasir.
“At a time of coming out of isolation and working on the feelings of dancer Yen Ching being followed by her shadow, this costume was born. It’s like a fascinating volume of darkness with the lightest but most dramatic movement. I wanted to create a spectacle—something intriguing after that strange period we all went through. It’s one of my most favourite looks I’ve made.”
Dancer: Yen-Ching Lin wearing Nasir's design
That same design, first seen in the intimate setting of Parade, was reborn in front of millions at Coachella 2025, during Lady Gaga’s headline performance. Nasir recreated the costume especially for the show, where it appeared in Act one Velvet and Vice.
For balletLORENT, the story of that costume is one of resilience, collaboration, and imagination.
“Working with Nasir and shaping choreography out of his designs was beautiful,” Liv shares. “It helped us feel we were getting through the pandemic, even while living in a completely unknown time.”
Nasir works with artists who have integrity—famous or not—and we’re proud to have him as a long-time collaborator since 2019. That a costume born from our small window of creativity in lockdown could end up on one of the world’s biggest stages is a reminder that every moment of honest artistic expression matters.
From Northumberland to Coachella—what a journey.
Explore all of Nasir's stunning costume creations designed exclusively for Parade.
