Archive for costume design
September 23, 2008 at 7:20 pm · Filed under dance, choreographers, candice thompson, CANDICE, costume design, guggenheim, works & process
Last night I went to see “A Two Part Affair” by Brian Reeder and Pam Tanowitz commissioned by Works & Process at the Guggenheim. It was my first time seeing one of the Works & Process programs and I am sold–I love the whole concept. It is part performance, part James Lipton–Inside the Actor’s Studio style panel discussion with a moderator and the choreographers and collaborative artists. It is a beautiful and intimate theatre space and the programming, at least last night, was well edited and tight, in the best sense.
This program was true to its title: a dance in two parts, juxtaposing classicism and modernism from every plausible angle. Renaissance music v. Music from the New Waltz Project, Modern Choreographer (Pam Tanowitz) v. Ballet Choreographer (Brian Reeder), bare feet v. pointe shoes, forward thinking costumes by a designer with a feel for and background in classicism. But as Ms. Tanowitz said best, the goal of this commission was to form a new kind of collaboration, not just have “a pointed foot v. flexed foot smackdown”. Both choreographers said they got to the place where they stopped seeing their individual contributions, lost themselves a little bit and started seeing the work in “our dance” terms. They brought in Jillian Lewis, of Project Runway fame, to design the costumes before they had even choreographed a single step so that she could also be a full participant in the melting pot.
The end result? A pleasant and enjoyable but at times, rather innocuous performance. The dancers were lovely and I was never bored but also not often moved or challenged. The costumes, at their best and most pared down moments, were sleek and evocative of the human anatomy that was said to inspire them:
This photo represents my two favorite elements: the men’s tights–which are amazing! and really accentuate the male dancer’s leg line–as well as the fun and unexpected fluffy boa that was part of Ms. Lentz’s leotard.
The skirts, though whimsical on their own terms, were a nuissance to the total design– the bodies of the ballet dancers were flattered more without them. There was this awkward line when the girls faced upstage where the skirts sat quite low on the hips and the lines of the leotard cut in so drastically it looked as though there were only a very French cut, Jane Fonda style leotard underneath. But without the skirt, you could see clearly those lines were not the end of the leotard leg, but rather part of an inventive cutout above the hip. Ms. Lewis mentioned that in fact she designed the leotards to be worn alone and the skirts and boa were added after the fact, to accessorize the Renaissance section.
The palette of pale peaches and light silvery blues was effective and at turns gorgeous in Phillip Trevino’s lighting design. Each dancer was monochromatic but with a satisfying amount of texture, in fabric choices ranging from shiny to sheer. All in all, I think the costumes might have been the best part………but since I am a costume designer you can take that with a grain of salt.
CLICK HERE to see Jillian’s inspired sketches.
{Above photos by Richard Termine. Dancers featured: Dylan Crossman, Helen Hansen, Anne Lentz, Simone Messmer, Geln Rumsey, and Roman Zhurbin.)
On the way out, the Guggenheim was also unveiling the restoration of the famed exterior of the museum, after being under scaffolding since 2006. At night, there is currently a very dramatic projection of work (poems, writings) by conceptual artist Jenny Holzer projected on the spirals designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
I was so glad to have caught “Corpses” at the moment it started scrolling. It created two contrasts for me: a feeling of mystery mixed with somber weight and an ethereal vision of large white words floating on the backdrop of a large dark building.
And so the evening was bookended with art and some discussion and insight inbetween. I walked away wondering about the duality of all things, art and otherwise, in this world.
Recent Posts by candice thompson
September 4, 2008 at 4:31 pm · Filed under dance, costumes, candice thompson, CANDICE, costume design, new chamber ballet, miro magliore
Tomorrow night New Chamber Ballet opens its season at City Center with 3 new ballets by Miro Magloire, Lauren Toole and Constantine Baecher. The last few weeks I have been designing and constructing 10 new costumes, with mulitple pieces per costume, in the midst of end-of-summer vacations and Labor Day weekend. It goes without saying, it has been nuts! But I am really excited about them, mainly because they represent a pretty big departure from the norm for me.
Sketch of female costume for Baecher’s Arachnophilia. It is a nude unitard with a tunic dress and cowl neck veil of varying nets and meshes that I have cut into.
{The ladies of New Chamber Ballet: Elizabeth, Emily, Maddie and Emery. First fitting over practice clothes, without unitards. Took me a few moments to realize Emily and Emery needed to switch and a bit longer decide what needed to be added or taken away once they started moving in them. Basically, I am constantly adding to and editing it in my head.)
Tonight is dress rehearsal and I still have to hook and eye and put straps on all of the dresses for Cascade (Toole’s ballet). It is at times such as this, I like to remember that there are stories of Karinska getting into the cab at 8p on opening night to head for the theatre with the costumes and dancers waiting in the wings in just their pink tights! Yes, I will take a deep breath in and remember I am actually very, very close to the end result………..the performance, when I can finally exhale!
Tomorrow night and Saturday at 8p. City Center Studios. 4th Floor.
Recent Posts by candice thompson
July 28, 2008 at 5:13 pm · Filed under dance, candice thompson, CANDICE, costume design, costume
Recently, I have been working on some ivory long unitards for Morphoses. I am not the costume designer, I am just assisting in putting some of the construction together as there is not a formal costume shop. So what I mean to say is, they will be more than just ivory unitards. This is just the base from which the costume will be built on.
But looking at yards and yards of beautiful ivory fabric on my cutting table got me to thinking about the ambivalent nature of the relationship us dancers have with this seemingly simple material. Ballet in general, is white. There are the “white” ballets. Often white is the first color of leotard any child is required to wear. Princes must wear white tights! We should be so used to it and so comfortable with our signature color…….so why does it often inspire such dread?
Obviously, there are the issues of body and presentation. The fear it will make us look bigger. But white, while unforgiving, can be slimming in its own simplicity of so clearly showing line and definition. How do you feel about wearing it? Are you one of those dancers who is more comfortable in nude than white? If you have been wearing it forever, do you still sigh and think about it before putting on those white tights or that Apollo dress?
I would love to know and also set the record straight as I see it. Ballet uses white (and ivory) often for a reason: it looks beautiful onstage and in general, really does flatter all. So embrace it if you get the chance!
Recent Posts by candice thompson
June 16, 2008 at 4:09 pm · Filed under dance, costumes, candice thompson, CANDICE, costume design, creative arts studio, LOLAstretch
To borrow a great phrase from my favorite and only tv show I have watched in the last few years, Project Runway. Tim Gunn would be proud if he only knew of the almost 70 costumes I designed and made over the last few weeks for eight different classes at the Creative Arts Studio for their annual showcase at Brooklyn Museum. Some were for my own ballet students, some were for other classes like Hip Hop.
It was insanely stressful but in the end the two shows this past Saturday and Sunday came off without a hitch and it was a successful end to the school year for the students and teachers, who all worked as hard and intensely as I did.
Here are some backstage photos I took on Sunday, letting you into the nerves and excitement that are present when kids are the stars of the event:
Two of my advanced students, Elizabeth and Olivia, getting ready to perform on pointe for the first time ever!
Another advanced student, Sean, getting her pointe shoes on. She has been injured and performed rather stoically and beautifully through the pain just as a professional would, which of course, had all of the teachers incredibly on edge.
My Ballet 2 students in their “Fall” costumes, showing me backstage that they were ready to perform. And perform they did, I saw some jetes I had never seen before in terms of height and felxibility!
A couple of Ballet 1 students, in butterfly leotards of mine with attached “wings”, went around giving tired teachers shoulder rubs. I got in that line quick!
More Ballet 1 butterflies waiting to go onstage, bubbling over with nervous energy on top of their usual high energy.
Miranda, of Ballet 2, waiting in line for the final bow at the end of the show.
A few of the hip hop students in nutcracker short unitards I made. The theme for the entire show was The Four Seasons. It was the end of the show and as you can see, the girl on the left is losing one of her gold stripes. One of the biggest goals of mine was to create costumes that could be worn by the students in their classes after the show. The parents spend a lot of money and it seems a shame to get only one wear. So pieces like the gold stripes were tacked on at the last minute for easy removal, and all of the skirts were separate from the leotards, which were all based on my LOLAstretch designs.
My advanced ballet had the final piece of the show to Vivaldi’s Summer. Here is a photo I took, like a proud parent, from the audience. The were in champagne chiffon empire-waisted dresses.
Congratulations to all of the students at CAS! You were beautiful!
xo
Candice
Recent Posts by candice thompson
May 30, 2008 at 3:22 pm · Filed under dance, candice thompson, CANDICE, costume design
Come out to the Prospect Park Zoo this weekend and you can check out my latest costume project with Philippa Kaye Company. The show is called Humorphous and it is an interactive dance performance along the trails of the zoo.
These are photos from a previous incarnation of the show, so these are not my costumes, but the new idea is a riff on the bright primary colors. Philippa and I wanted them to be able to “transform” into many different animals and so were trying to avoid any literal animal apparel. We wanted them to find a look that was a bit like pedestrians at the zoo while still showing the dancers bodies clearly and having an athletic look. We also had the additional challenge of a dancer being allergic to grass and therefore needed to be in long sleeves and pants while still being able to perform outside, during the day in June and July.
The result is a bright, controlled rainbow with the goal of complementing this inventive new show. You can see it Saturday and Sunday, free with zoo admission.
xo
Candice
Recent Posts by candice thompson
May 27, 2008 at 8:07 pm · Filed under dance, family, candice thompson, CANDICE, costume design, LOLAstretch
Where has this month gone? I offer this photo montage to explain my absence from the blog after the ad hoc Ballet show. My parents visited and then this past weekend I went home to Arizona to throw my sister a baby shower!
Meet my family:
One of the first things I did with my parents was take them to the Cherry Blossom Festival at Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Breathtaking! figuratively and literally as I was hacking away from all of the flour inhalation during the ad hoc Ballet show and cherry blossoms are quite potent in addition to being beautiful….
So many beautiful, inspiring things at the garden….this is my favorite color!
The following week we rode bikes from Canal St to the end of Manhattan, past the Cloisters! That is what you are in for on vacation with parents who run marathons:-) While resting at a pier along the way we had a Bruce Willis sighting.
Next on the list was the Museum of Natural History, followed by a night at NYCB! It was a perfect rainy day agenda.
On the way to JFK, we made one last stop at DiFara’s Pizza. If you have never been there it is worth the trip. The wait is insane as it is just one old man making pizzas rather slowly, one at a time, but it is probably the best pizza I have ever had!
Then my parents went back to Arizona and a couple of weeks later, I followed them.
Sunday morning I took a hike up Pinnacle Peak with my niece and nephew.
The weather was unseasonably cool but with the usual warm sun, so it was all around great weather. And everything was in bloom too!
The reason for the trip is the belly in this photo. My sister, Lisa, is about to have a baby and so it was an occasion to celebrate! I love that her snow cone matches her suit.
Here is one of my favorite photos of the weekend from the baby shower. Four generations of family: me, my mom, my grandma, my sister and my niece.
So now I am back to work and summer in the city. Wrapping up costumes for Philippa Kaye Company this week and tackling numerous LOLAstretch obstacles and challenges, as well as getting used to a new job post. More on this later, for now, I hope you enjoyed getting a small glimpse of where I am from.
xo
Candice
Recent Posts by candice thompson
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