The Journey of a Movement Maestro: A Candid Chat with Pat Boguslawski

What's Contemporary Now?

Movement director Pat Boguslawski reflects on his journey in this latest episode, citing a unique artistic trajectory. Boguslawski has always been sure of his career as an artist throughout his upbringing in Łódź, Poland, fueled by pop culture, film, and fashion shows. Coming to dance—which he immediately perceived to be the most expressive art form he could pursue—and then moving to London to find an outlet for that passion, Boguslawski came to his current role, shaping the fashion shows of his childhood heroes, like John Galliano and Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton, through a mixture of serendipitous encounters and hard work.

Boguslawski’s breakthrough as a movement director occurred during the 2020 Margiela show, where Leon Dame’s viral walk marked a rule-breaking moment. He emphasizes the irreplaceability of artistic experiences that originate in ordinary life, and as a movement director, he navigates the everyday challenges of instilling confidence in inexperienced individuals. His love for the constantly evolving, interdisciplinary nature of his work shines throughout the episode, revealing a passion that combines modeling, dancing, directing, and acting. With sobriety as a grounding force, he cherishes the magic, presence, and drama inherent in the collaborative artistry of fashion and movement together.

Episode Highlights:

• Upbringing: Born in Poland, Boguslawski spent his childhood developing his imagination by watching music videos and movies and keeping up with pop culture through MTV, VH1, and FashionTV.
• A new way of expression: Though he was sure he would be a painter or designer, he came to dance at a friend’s urging and found it to be a more expressive and social artistic practice.
• An international move: Boguslawski moved to London into an “extreme” situation, without a job or a solid plan except to pursue his dream of dance.
• Balance between serendipitous luck and willpower: Boguslawski came to London intending to be a dancer and was scouted as a model and then championed by Alexander McQueen Creative Director Sarah Burton.
• “Strong attitude”: He had a breakthrough moment as a movement director in 2020 at the Margiela show when Leon Dame walked in a particular way and went viral. “I realized that we probably broke some rules.”
• “Weird energy”: Boguslawski realized he was meant to be a movement director while working as a creative assistant for a choreographer.
• “Magic and presence and drama”: He expresses a feeling of privilege that he’s part of Galliano’s creative vision, which was part of his childhood dream.
• Unrepeatable: Boguslawski notes that if he’s watching a fashion show, he wants it to feel singular and to be something he couldn’t experience or re-create in his daily life.
• Creating confidence: The greatest challenge is being confronted with models who have low confidence or little experience, and in that way, creating confidence for movement is “like therapy.”
• Burnout: Speaking to creatives’ need for time to sit around and do nothing, Boguslawski reflects on times when the more jobs he did, the less creative he could be.
• Loving the job: The constant fluidity and change of clients and the interdisciplinary nature of the work keep him loving his line of work, which merges modeling, dancing, directing, and acting.
• Sobriety: Because his body is so closely tied to his work, sobriety helps Boguslawski bring “the best energy” to his job. “I’m not cracking,” he says of aging.
• What’s contemporary now? It’s “being a good human.”

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