Ten Thousand Pirouettes I The PUMA H-Street Ballet
Words by: Gregory Noonan
Every pinnacle in human development represents the perfection of one single thing. One technique, one movement, one leap, one tackle, one stroke, one dive. We appreciate the jack-of-all-trades, but it is in the perfectionist that we revel. It is by perfection that we areawed.
But perfection represents the final chapter, if not its end. As humans, we fall in love with the journey itself, with the rise and fall of passion and dedication. When a dancer takes to the stage, we are subconsciously bracing ourselves against the chance they fall, that on the next leap, arabesque, or changement, their will meets the incline of skill. And yet within these quiet moments, before daring dancers take flight, our hearts find a levity that can often feel unreal. In these moments, we dare ourselves, despite all reason to believe in chance, to believe that the next great moment, where an artist elevates all that we could know, is about to blossom before us.
When Bruce Lee said he didn’t fear the man who practised ten thousand kicks once, but instead feared the man who practised one kick ten thousand times, it looks like PUMA took notes. Having been in the sneaker game for close to a century, the German practitioners of footwear excellence have been in the eternal pursuit of footwear perfection, and they may have just cracked it. Dubbed the H-Street Ballet, this new expression comes to life in swatches of brushed, low-profile suede, banded by elegant straps across the forefoot. Streamlined stripes brace the laterals while a flat bottom sole sizzles underneath with a rough black rubber finish, emblematic of the race day looks that have adorned the feet of World Champions.
Whether it’s just style or something else, encourage yourself to try something new, something built on a pedigree of pushing the boundaries of design, and shop the PUMA H-Street Ballet online and in-store at NAKED Copenhagen.
Big thanks to:
Talent: Victoria Thandazile @victoriathandazile & Natalie Cao @nataliecao_
Photographer & Videographer: Marcus Nielsen @filmbymn
Styling: Rban @rban____ @albeeertee @geniuzz @parnoosh
Hair & Make-up: Natali Rasch @egyptique
Lighting: Pol Cobas @polcobas
Sound Design: Oskar Justesen @oskarjustesen_
Production Assistant: Rebeca @puigcerc0s
Community Manager: Josephine Tanja @josephinetanja
Graphic Design Intern: @robynraerosee
Creative Direction and Production: NAKED Copenhagen @nakedcph