We spoke recently with Christine Morrison and Nancy Scott, costume designers for the upcoming Snow Queen ballet, taking place at Glendale Community College December 18 – 20, 2009. www.SnowQueenBallet.com
18th century Denmark meets Cirque du Soliel. We started with the idea of Scandinavia since it's a Hans Christian Anderson story. But since the Snow Queen & other characters are mythical beings, we could design anything we wanted to create our fantasy world. Because it's a fairytale we wanted to use elements from all time periods and places to create a feeling of timelessness, without being modern.
Lederhosen! Again, we wanted to suggest Northern Europe/Scandinavia, without being too tied to any particular time & place. His costume has changed over the years, as the role has matured, becoming a little "older" & less like a little boy, and because we have the grown-up Kai that needs to match.
The Snow Queen?
We wanted her to look regal & imposing, as the Queen of the northern skies, without restricting any movement, since the choreography has her doing everything from rolling on the floor, to being tossed around, to being carried by her wolves! She needed to be icy & sparkly, and also give the impression of swirling snow. We used lots of iridescence & crystals, and kept her skirts light so that they fly around her as she dances.
The Enchantress?
She is the embodiment of spring & nature; sort of the female version of the "Green Man." We wanted her sexy & hypnotic, but earthy, so we used lots of flowers, leaves & even shells to make her reflect those qualities, as well as colors from nature & flowing skirts.
Gypsy Boy and Girl?
Traditional Romanian/Russian gypsies. Lots of color, texture, patterns, and "jewelry". Each one is different, but we gave the Gypsy Boy & Girl even more detail than the band of gypsies, so that they stand out, using fur on his vest & many yards of coin trim on her skirt.
The Children?
The New Town children are loosely based on traditional peasant/folk design. Gerda has a more ornate version--more balletic, with a short, soft, tutu, because she is the main character.
The children in the prologue, the "old town," are dressed in renaissance style, to show that it's an earlier time period, and in sepia tones, because we wanted to give the impression of old photographs, or as in a movie when the flashbacks are in black & white. Their reflections are dressed the same, but in black & grey tones, as they are their "evil" counterparts .
Snow Queen Costume Designers (L-R) Christine Morrisson and Nancy Scott
Not really--at the beginning we sketched everything out, but since we are in our 12th season, we are only making a few totally new costumes each year, so we just do a few quick sketches of each to determine what silhouette we want, and what details, and to show the Artistic Director. A lot of our designing is based on what fabrics & trims we can find, so sometimes we do it the other way, letting our choice of fabric determine the styling. Many times we start only with a loose idea, based on Erin's (Artistic Director) suggestions of color & her concept of the dance, and then go looking for fabric options to base the design on.
Also, since we are drafting the patterns ourselves, and then most of the time sewing them ourselves, there is no need to produce a detailed sketch for someone else to follow.
In our 1st year, we worked very closely, but as time has gone on, and there are less changes or totally new designs needed, we only collaborate on those particular items. The input she gives is more direction as to color or the general "feeling" she wants for a scene, not piece by piece. She'll give us a clipping or some other idea of what she wants, but doesn't usually dictate the actual fabric, shape, etc.
The most important collaboration is based on the choreography; many design decisions are dictated by how the dancers are moving--are they being lifted, are they flying, are they doing aerial ballet? Erin will have us come watch the dance to iron out these technical details. Also, we have to consider how fabrics interact between the dancers--do they slide, do they get caught, is something too bulky, does it rub; sometimes we'd love to use a particular detail that would look great, but can't because it isn't functional. This is where seeing the dance is most important!
Do you begin hand sewing the costumes after casting- so you can custom-fit for each performer? no we use sewing machines
In a perfect world, yes, we'd love to. However, that is not practical, considering that our chorus is made up of many children from the community as well as our Youth Company, and changes each year. We have sets of costumes for each role, based on the character's desired size & age range, and cast to ensure that the costumes are the right size for most. Then we make adjustments. For the principals, if a new costume is needed, then we are able to tailor it to that specific dancer. As a small company on a budget, we have to use the costumes for several years, so do a lot of fittings & alterations, as well as using many stretch fabrics, for movement & comfort, but also because it's easier to fit different bodies.
Any wardrobe malfunctions? If so, how do you handle that?
Thank God, nothing major, knock on wood. Because we use a lot of embellishment, sometimes bits & pieces come off; for example the feathers on the crows always seem to fly about. Sometimes an Angel steps on her hoopskirt, and once or twice a shoe has fallen off, but no-one has ever come out of their costume. One year we decided to put feathers on the bottom of the angels, so they looked like they were on clouds, but that was a nightmare--feathers everywhere! So we spent the next year picking it all off....
One of the ways we avoid these problems is having several dress rehearsals,so if there is some sort of functional problem it can be dealt with before the actual show.
What advice do you have to aspiring Ballet costume designers?
Compromise. It's one thing to design gorgeous costumes, it's something entirely different to make costumes that move, and that often requires lots of revisions and/or re-design. Watch and watch and watch the dancers doing their choreography, and how they interact with each other. The dancers' input is important too, since they are the ones having to wear the costumes while making it all look effortless; often they can tell you what works (or doesn't) for their movements. That being said, don't fall into the trap of not trying something because you think it's not danceable--sometimes it just takes a little tweaking to make it work, and that's another place where the dancer's input is invaluable.
