Dario Natarelli has been expressing himself by means of motion for years, however his newest creations aren’t one thing you’ll be able to watch—they’re one thing you’ll be able to put on. The 26-year-old Colorado native just lately launched Knitarelli, a model of knitting patterns and yarns that invitations dancers and nondancers alike into the artistic course of of creating scarves, sweaters, legwarmers, and different fashionable attire. Dance Journal spoke with Natarelli, who will carry out within the upcoming Encores! manufacturing of Fantastic City at New York Metropolis Middle, to study extra about his new function as a enterprise proprietor, and the way he sees the connection between choreographing and crafting.
How did you get keen on knitting?
I began after I was about 6. I used to be in dance class on the time, and there have been a number of dance mother and father knitting and crocheting on the benches outdoors the studio. I used to be a really curious baby, and I wished to study every thing each inside and outdoors the studio—what and the way folks had been making what they had been making. So, my mother introduced me needles and yarn, and I began to study the fundamentals. Once I moved to New York Metropolis after I was about 9 years previous, I wished to proceed. I used coloured pencils as knitting needles, and I discovered a sweater in my mother and father’ closet that I unraveled to make use of as yarn. A pair years later, in 2011, I ended up promoting a hat on Etsy.
Is that if you knew you wished to do it professionally?
I might do it on and off as a passion, like earlier than dance class or on the subway. At auditions, I might all the time have one thing to do to ease my thoughts, and I discovered knitting to be very meditative. Quick-forward to the pandemic: I used to be alone in my actually tiny house in NYC, craving a artistic outlet, so I obtained again into knitting. I realized about knitting methods and began to hand-dye yarns. I constructed a following on TikTok, over 25,000 followers, sharing the artistic processes of fiber arts. These movies had been my method of acting at a time after I wasn’t in a position to be onstage.
Is knitting an identical expertise so that you can dancing?
Knitting is like my cooldown, mentally and spiritually, from my dance observe. It provides me a artistic outlet that’s extra accessible—I can do it wherever, with out having to all the time be bodily energetic. Once I began designing my very own patterns, I discovered a number of similarities to my choreographic course of. The precise observe of knitting and designing entails a number of repetition, discovering the way in which that sure stitches work nicely with one another and others don’t. It’s like faucet: Some rhythms work nicely with particular genres of music, some a cappella, and a few in no way.
I’m additionally very interested in the method of seeing how my choreography works on one other physique versus my physique, like how my designs match on any individual else versus how they match on me. I get a number of my inspiration from seeing folks in dance lessons: what they discover to be important for warming up, how they layer issues, what they really feel assured carrying. I satisfaction myself on creating size-inclusive patterns that make folks really feel their greatest.
Why did you select to launch Knitarelli this yr?
Engaged on my first Broadway present, Illinoise, final yr allowed me to avoid wasting up sufficient to have the ability to launch a enterprise. It doesn’t really feel tense despite the fact that I’m carrying a number of hats. Knitting supplies readability in my thoughts and my physique. I can’t wait to hopefully collaborate with dancers to be fashions. My dream is to produce other folks mannequin the issues I make, the way in which I’ve different folks do my choreography.
What different targets do you might have for Knitarelli?
I’ve goals of designing Knitarelli objects for performances, which I’m going to begin this summer season. I’m actually excited to put on Knitarelli onstage after I carry out and see each of my worlds grow to be intertwined.
