Costume Makers U.K.-Theatrical And Dance

When it comes to the world of dance costumes, most of us are simply admiring spectators. We, as audience members and adoring fans, throng to dance performances for many, many reasons. Dance theatres simply hold a fascination for the public. Not only do we become enchanted by the music, storyline and dance movements of  those on stage, we become riveted by some of the fantastic theatrical costuming.

Dance Costume Variations Are As  Numerous As The Stars In The Sky

Just as there are millions of stars in the galaxy, there are an endless variety of ways to express the dance arts through a costume. Not only are theatrical costumes unique, designing them calls for a great deal of experience with different methods of  cutting, measuring, sewing and decorating challenging fabrics. Ballet, tap, jazz, modern dance, lyrical and gymnastics all call for a unique expertise in the field of costume making.

Is There A Difference Between Theatrical And Classical Costume Making?

Is a classical ballet tutu considered a type of theatrical costume? Generally, a theatrical costume is considered a garment that will be worn by a performer on stage in front of an audience. In that sense, a ballet tutu is a theatrical costume for the ballerina. Because each dance genre uses different types of fabrics to achieve a certain look, there is a big difference between constructing a tutu versus a leotard or character dress.

Costume Makers In The U.K. Specialising In Many Forms Of Dance Genre Dancewear

It takes a great deal of skill and experience to work with different types of materials used for bespoke dancewear. There is a big difference in the handling of tulle compared to the stretchiness of a fabric like cotton spandex or lycra. Only a costume making company with years of experience can create professional costumes in many different styles and fabrics.

Theatrical Tap Ensemble by Costume Creations UK

When it comes to expertise in costume making for theatre and dance, the choice is Costume Creations  U.K. As any reader who comes to this website can see, Costume Creations U.K. is already a leader in the field of making exquisite professional-grade tutus for dancers in the London area.

Any type of dance genre costume that requires perfection of fit, theatrical flair and amazing stage presence can be acquired by simply contacting Costume Creations UK for a private consultation. The rest of us can just sit back and wait for the show to begin..

“It doesn’t matter where you are on the stage, just as long as you’re there.” – Author Unknown-

Ballet Character Costumes For Girls

Character Ballet Costumes For Girls

From the moment I viewed this amazing video, I knew I would have to write about it. The very first thing that struck me about this beautiful dancer is the fact that she is only 10 years old and dancing on pointe so beautifully.

People will always debate whether a ballerina this young should actually be on pointe or not. I trust those issues to her accredited teacher and sincerely believe that some are naturally gifted and strong from a very young age. In my opinion and judging from this performance, she is every bit the professional dancer at the ripe old age of 10. Amazing isn’t it?

Not only does this young dancer have wonderful technique, the performance is made more beautiful by the romantic-style of her ballet costume. Can you imagine how busy costume designers must be to keep up with the costuming needs of all these ballets?

Character Costume by Costume Creations.UK

Character Costumes Play An Important Part In Each Individual Ballet

Ballet is an art that speaks to the heart without words. Each element of the dance is designed to convey a message or evoke an emotional response. The music, lighting, and scenery combine to create an atmosphere in the theater. Picture all of these elements together with the dancers out of costume. The entire effect would be lost.  The costumes can make or break the performance.

Designing Character Costumes Easily Takes Years Of Experience

The sheer multitude of ballets and their different costume requirements make being a custom designer immensely challenging.  You may receive a request for a classical tutu on Monday, a lyrical dress on Tuesday, a romantic character costume on Wednesday, and a specially embellished gymnastic leotard on Thursday.

The art of being able to create so many different variations of dance costumes at the drop of a hat is exactly that; an art. The costume designer uses needle, thread, and fabric to paint a lovely picture all of us can enjoy forever.

Swan Lake Ballet Costumes

Can you imagine the work it would take to create hundreds of Swan Lake Ballet costumes for a performance? Even one professional ballet costume takes weeks to make. Imagine hundreds!  I am curious to find out what the various roles and costume needs for dancers performing in the Swan Lake Ballet might mean to a costume designer.

The Swan Lake Ballet is one of the most beloved and cherished of all the ballets. The costuming for this ballet performance has certain standards of design and so I decided to contact Costume Creations to get a better idea of what a designer has to keep in mind when making costumes to be used in the Swan Lake Ballet.

All of the following information about roles and costume requirements come from  Monica Newell of Costume Creations UK.

Odette

Odette’s costume is supposed to look like a swan, so a real, living swan must be studied and copied. The layout of the animal’s feather’s and the natural way the feathers grow will determine the design of the costume.

Odile

Odile’s black swan costume will have the same characteristics as the white Odette costume. Both Odette and Odile will wear head dresses made of swan feathers.

The Swan Corp

For the corp members of the Swan Lake ballet, care must be taken that each one has a costume of excellent quality and not just the principal dancers. Choosing the proper shade of white is important. White fabric comes in many different shade variations. The materials used should be matte white with pure white tulle for the tutu skirt. What looks like white tulle can have blue or grey undertones which are undesirable in this ballet.

Peasants

The male and female dancers who portray the peasants in Act I will need the correct period costumes.

Siegfried

In the Swan Lake Ballet, Siegfried plays the part of a prince and is also the lead male dancer. The costume for Siegfried will have to reflect his royal lineage and should appear regal.

Siegfried’s Mother

The costume requirements for the role of a queen mean using rich fabrics that result in a regal costume of elegance and taste. I don’t design costumes, but it might fun to think of costume ideas for a queen!

National Costumes

Act III of Swan Lake involves the gathering of the nations and all of the costumes need to reflect the customary dress of that country at that time in history. Countries such as Hungary, Russia, Spain, and Poland are represented and every detail in costuming is important; hats, boots, shoes, length of dress, shoulder decorations, and more. Fabrics are chosen with attention to how they move on stage.

Swan Lake Head Dress by Costume Creations UK

Tiara’s and Head Dresses

The beautiful ballerinas dancing in Swan Lake wear head dresses made from feathers. Care has to be taken when constructing this type of head dress as it can easily look like giant ear muffs on the dancers head.

Swarovski crystals that embellish costumes must be applied with an eye for elegance. Crystals used in strategic areas highlight the dancers movement and make the costume magical yet elegant.

Too much embellishment, feather overload, and tiaras added to the mix will resemble Las Vegas showgirl and not beautiful, magical swan. There is much to think about when designing costumes. Every designer keeps the finished effect in mind.

How lucky are ballet audience members to enjoy the visual delights of well-planned and beautifully constructed costumes!

Classical Tutu Construction-Magical Combinations

Tutu Design Magic

Looking at this photo and the way this costume was constructed I noticed a combination of design elements that make this ballet costume very unique. Starting at the top of the costume, I see that the bodice on this one has full coverage. The full, puffed sleeves and opaque torso give the top part of this costume a semi-peasant top quality. It also  has a romantic-style.

Coming down to the top of the tutu skirt, you see a beautiful, wide pink satin ribbon around the dancers waist. The ribbon element in this ballet costume is simply beautiful. The tutu skirt is embellished with lovely little rosettes of pink and blue which are also placed in the dancers hair to complete this magical look.

This ballet costume is very unique. I imagine this costume was created for dancing a specific role where the dancer was required to look romantic and spring-like. The ribbon around the dancers neck makes her look even more dramatic.

Ballet costumes that are designed with unique features like this one keep the magic of ballet performance alive.

Dancewear With A Difference

Anyone who is a dancer, or aspires to be one, has, at one time or another, dreamed of wearing a ballet costume so beautiful, so mesmerizing, that the audience begins tossing flowers on the stage before the dancing has begun.

In this dream, the ballerina is wearing a costume that someone custom-made just for her. The fit is impeccable, the tailoring unique, the embellishments applied with precision and attention to detail.

Just where can a dancer go if she is looking to make her dreams come true wearing a design made only for her? She needs to find a reputable designer who will meet or exceed her expectations.

One such designer is Monica Newell, owner and Head Designer of Costume Creations. Monica works tirelessly in her design studio handcrafting all of her costumes to make her clients look incredibly beautiful and professional.

With over 20 years experience in the dancewear design business, Monica has perfected the craft of creating visual masterpieces that accentuate the very best features of her clientele.

It must be very rewarding to custom make a theatrical ensemble for a dancer and then see them in a photo displaying their amazing talents while wearing your design.