2018 Met Gala: On Instagram, the Met Museum Turned Into a Giant Dance Party

On the night of the 2018 Met Gala, the exhibition’s theme—“Heavenly Bodies”—found new meaning when a number of the buzziest celebrity attendees broke off from the proceedings to appreciate works of art in the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art—and in some cases, become works of art themselves. Against the backdrop of some of the Met’s most iconic exhibition spaces, partygoers shimmied, strutted, posed, preened, and played in perfect harmony with medieval, Renaissance, and Classical Greek and Roman paintings and sculptures. It was a divine combination, captured by director Bardia Zeinali, who brought dancer Mette Towley along to direct movement inspired by her own unrivaled ability to pull shapes (aided by a pair of resplendent Alexander Wang combat boots) and to get guests in the groove. And it’s all—thank heaven—on Instagram, where even those who were not invited to the big event can still get in on the action.

With this year’s Costume Institute spring exhibition one of its most ambitious efforts yet (showcasing precious Vatican artifacts, and even turning part of the Met Cloisters into a refurbished monastery), it was only fair that Vogue pay homage to the museum’s incredible collections in extreme style. And whether they were taking a beat after arriving on fashion’s most sacred red carpet, cocktails in the Temple of Dendur, dinner in the Petrie Court, or one of several devotionally themed performances, each guest interpreted the time in his or her own way. Some, such as Frances McDormand and Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, broke it way down, while others, like a Latex-clad Bella Hadid, gave the statues in the Sculpture Hall a run for their money with their stone-cold posing. Where we’re used to seeing always-on-hand Met security guards (who were still present, of course) and quiet groups of tourists and schoolchildren, the likes of gala cochairs Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour, Amal Clooney, and a papal-glam Rihanna turned even marble heads; the result was a procession of stars that transformed the Met into the kind of giant dance party and couture catwalk that fashionable dreams are made of.

Below are a few choice selections—to see the rest of Vogue’s night at the museum on Instagram, check out the full roster here.