Costuming, Creativity and Confidence: Dressing Dancers for Success
By Faith Carrillo, Brown Girls Do Ballet Ambassador
Costuming is one of the most important aspects of a dance performance. Costumes not only help the dancer get into character, but they also create an incredible and inspiring experience for the audience. However, not many people know exactly how much work goes into making the costumes we see on stage, including the dancers who wear them!
To cover all the angles of how costuming affects the entire show and to better understand all that goes into the production of the pieces, I spoke to some of the people in my home studio that make the costuming process complete. I interviewed one of my fellow dancers, my Artistic Director, and of course, our very talented Costume Mistress. Speaking to them helped me to gain more clarity on why this is such an underappreciated job and how having good quality costuming can add to the overall success of a production.
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Many different elements contribute to a ballet performance. Choreography, props, lighting, and backdrops are all extremely important, but we rarely talk about just how hard it is to create the clothes we see on stage. Without them, the show can feel awkward and hard to understand. Having an in-house tailor can create a strong level of professionalism within a dance school. Having good quality, long lasting, stunning costumes can elevate the production and create a better connection to the Artistic Director’s vision. Custom designs help to portray exactly what the director wants and can make a more cohesive story.
Photo: Snow White bodice, skirt and headpiece at Ballet San Angelo; shot by Faith Carrillo
It’s also extremely beneficial to have a costume director within a program who fits costumes to dancers and not the other way around. The ballet world is already incredibly hard on people who don't fit the “ballet body aesthetic,” so having a knowledgeable seamstress who understands how to properly fit the dancer can make the entire experience positive for a dancer. It can be so vulnerable going to a fitting, especially for teenagers. Our bodies are changing, and we cannot control that. No two bodies are alike, and it is unfair not to cast a dancer in a certain role simply because a costume will not fit them. Dancers are often excluded due to an unwillingness to alter a costume, further perpetuating harmful body shaming stereotypes.
Dancers need to be able to talk to their costume director. Knowing that they can tell them if something does not fit right or is uncomfortable can make all the difference in the dancer’s success on stage. Having open dialogue, mutual respect and someone who understands and cares about different shapes, shades and sizes allows for a positive and healthy environment.
When asked about the importance of a well-fitting costume, Madison Kissko, Pre-Professional Dancer at Ballet San Angelo said, “When you don’t feel confident or comfortable in your costume it can make you dance smaller, and you want to dance bigger on stage!”
Photo: Costume Mistress, Amanda Brake adjusts Dew Drop Bodice on dancer, Faith Carrillo; shot by Caroline Carrillo
It takes a forward-thinking director and an experienced seamstress to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome on stage. Amanda Brake, Ballet San Angelo’s in-house costume mistress explained, “We work together tossing ideas back and forth until we have something that suits both of our imaginations, both preconstruction and throughout. It is absolutely a collaborative effort between the Artistic Director’s stage vision and my build inspirations.”
Photo: Mrs. Brake teaching dancer Madison Kissko how to cut a pattern; shot by Faith Carrillo
In the summer of 2022, my home studio offered a sewing workshop. The dancers would come once a week to learn about the costuming process and what it is like to design, sew, and fit our own costume pieces. We made simple circle skirts and were taught how to custom-fit them to our bodies. This helped open our eyes to how much goes into this job and how important it is to have a well-rounded tailor who knows how to create a wide variety of clothes.
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Not only is it important for dancers to learn about and appreciate the costuming process, but it is also beneficial for us to learn how to sew as well. Knowing how to make a costume piece can help with a dancer’s creativity and allow us to learn more about how crucial it is for the overall production value of the show. If we learn the skills needed to mend costumes, it would also be useful if something were to break backstage and needed to be repaired quickly.
Sewing, in some ways, can be seen as a dying art form, and, in my generation, we have slowly moved away from being interested in making something ourselves, leaning instead into purchasing trendy fast-fashion items. Creating something that is yours and learning how to make small adjustments can give you a sense of pride and ownership over your costume.
Photo: Dancers Faith and Madison modeling the skirts they made in the summer sewing workshop; shot by Caroline Carrillo
Erin Lane, Ballet San Angelo’s Artistic Director shared her thoughts. “When you see someone face to face working endless hours to sew something as small as a sleeve or something as big as a tutu, there’s just a higher level of appreciation.” Did you know that creating a completely new bodice and tutu started from a blank piece of fabric to the gorgeous works of art we see on stage could take up to 100 hours? With that amount of time and effort, it can be useful for non-profit programs, or schools with a tight budget, to have costumes that can be refurbished and repurposed for use in different shows. It is both cost effective and sustainable for multiple generations.
My ballet school is nearly 40 years old and a non-profit organization. We have built a large collection of costumes over the years and have had many skilled hands that have continued to keep us in beautiful tutus. We rely on the kindness of parent volunteers who are willing to lend their time and talents to the school and learn various new sewing patterns. We have been incredibly fortunate in our West Texas town to have access to these types of resources! Affording a full-time professional costume mistress would be completely out of reach for many dance schools, so finding talent amongst community volunteers is a must! I encourage you to get involved in your own studio’s costuming process and learn everything you can.
Dancers should be absorbing all the wealth of information from the professionals around them. Having the opportunity to have a collaborative experience with knowledgeable costume directors can ignite passion in future tailors. “I hope to instill that creative spark in at least a few youths to carry on the love of both sewing and costuming into future productions,” said Mrs. Brake.
Photo: Ballet San Angelo’s costume room thread wall; shot by Faith Carrillo
Costume directors at all levels, whether it be at a school or a professional dance company, should be appreciated. Their job is incredibly important, and their time, energy and talent should be acknowledged. We often overlook those who are behind the scenes, but they deserve all our respect. Thank you for making us look good and feel good!
Photo: The many layers of a tutu, shown from underneath; shot by Faith Carrillo