Outfits that dance

Li's daily concerns show up in her work, in her creations.

In her upcoming show Solstice at the Chaillot National Theater in Paris, rehearsal for which begins in three weeks, Li will depict "the relationship between humanity and nature, how it has evolved over time, how our lives and the lives of those who come after us are going to change."

And in another of her shows that is still touring, Robot, dancers and small articulated machines share the stage in an ironic statement on where technology will lead us.

Ever since Spanish designer Sybilla created the costume for one of her first ballets and then worked with Christian Lacroix at the Paris Opera, Li has made the fashion world dance.

For example, in Goddesses and Demonesses, Li and Alexandrova wear stunning clothes designed by Azzedine Alaia, Stella McCartney, Jean Paul Gaultier and Sophie Theallet.

The garments open and close, cover and reveal, puff up and tighten. They even take flight on stage.

"Fashion inspires me a lot because it involves creating movement in clothes, and for dancing that is very, very important," said Li.

But what would Li do if she could not dance? Li finds that unthinkable.

"I have always danced," she says, laughing.