Dancing In the Wings
Image by NMH Flickr
How much do we really know about the behind-the-scenes at the Dance Company? Besides the enormous amount of time and energy put into it, of course.
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Caroline Miller ‘27
NMH’s costume shop is used by numerous teams and organizations: the One-Act play, the musical, and the dance company. In total, it is used at least six times a year. In the costume shop, there are unique pieces that date back to the 1950s which proves the range of clothing it contains. The time and dedication put into the whole process of fitting, creating, performing, cleaning, and reusing is enormous.
The costume shop was made in 2008. Inside of it are pieces ranging from new to brought over from the old Northfield campus. Ellie de Lucia, the costume designer, sews the pieces, and after performances, they are reused and donated. Depending on the budget and time, the designer will make as many costumes as possible. If not, de Lucia will repurpose them. The articles of clothing are cleaned as best as possible, but humidity and mold are always something to consider. The excess heat in the shop may attract moths which will eat the fabrics.
According to Gretel Schatz, Northfield Mount Hermon Dance Faculty, many conversations occur between dancers, choreographers, and designers when the costumes are being chosen: "Sometimes the dance will be very narrative and the costumes need to refer to or express a specific character. Sometimes a costume will refer to feelings or elements in a dance. A color might express a feeling or a texture could refer to an idea within the dance. There is an enormous overlap with visual arts, and how the garment that the dancers wear expresses ideas through a visual medium, Which of course, is a layer on top of dance, which is also a visual experience for the audience”. Pieces are also reused or purchased if necessary. For example, if there is a piece based in the 1980s, the choreographer(s) will want to have costumes that correspond to the setting. Everything during the presentation is well-thought-out and purposely chosen for that purpose. Small details such as textures, patterns, and colors on the costume can make a huge difference in performance.
The whole rundown process of making the costumes to then seeing them on dancers can be quite complicated. It starts out with the team figuring out what type of required materials need to be taken into account since performers can be allergic to an assortment of fabrics or they could be nervous or anxious wearing certain costume designs. Afterward, the choreographers meet with the costume designer to understand further what the choreographer wants the piece to look like, the images to bring into the audience’s mind, and what they want the audience to connect it to. Depending on the overall dance theme of the performance, costume ideas start immediately. After the choreographer and costume designer meet, the costume designer is able to start piecing together or finding costume materials.“It is very important to understand how fabrics fit and act on the body, says de Lucia. “If they either move with or constrain the performer's movement. Color and light reflection are also crucial things to consider while connecting the costumes to the story”.
Designing the costumes based on the performance’s theme can take a good chunk of time to piece together. Ultimately, it’s all worth it, because clothing is an “important part of what makes the dance come alive. The clothing can reveal the underlying themes and designs in the dance even before the performance starts. Clothing is almost like its own performer, setting the mood and giving the audience hints about the plot and backstory of the dance. A character study is also crucial to costume making. In simple terms, it is a deep dive into the storyline. Once the costume designer understands what the character is struggling with or performing about, it drives the design. For example, powerless would be bleak colors, softer, and curved, while powerful would be considered sharper and brighter colors. With this being said, it can be tricky to narrow this process down to a specific theme. Since they are all tied together in some way, a lot of things that are perceived are subconscious. Your mind unscrambles what is going on before a performance or dance begins with certain elements and ideas. Making sure you are giving off a primal and creative sense can give the dance an interesting spin.
The process of the costumes being chosen, made, hemmed, worn, cleaned, and put back, with the multitude of flowy and cheerful fabric followed by the dark and forest-y options as well that are contained inside of it. Collaborating with over six different teams, this shop is very important to the work job students. Therefore, with the wide variety of pieces, the costume shop truly is well-used and loved.
