Last week’s blog post included a preview of the choreography and prop work behind VBC’s premiere of La Fille Mal Gardée. But no peek into the preparations for a ballet would be complete without a look into the preparations that go into costuming a new ballet. Our costume department has been hard at work since early January.
For anyone who has ever set foot in VBC’s towering costume closet, gathering all the costumes needed might not seem to be such a difficult task. After all, the room contains hundreds of gorgeous handmade pieces: glittering bodices dripping with sequins and metallic trim, poofy lamé pancake tutus in gleaming pastels, yards upon yards of tulle gathered up into romantic skirts, and much more.
A partial view of VBC’s costume closet, featuring mostly handmade costumes, many of which are at least half a century old. Even with such luxury, costuming a new ballet is a huge job.
But La Fille Mal Gardée is a peasant ballet set among dusty farms and crop fields, which means simple costumes. Most of our existing costumes could not be used as is for this ballet because they were too sparkly, too glittery, or too shiny. In other cases, the costume team had to pull together disparate sets of outfits to create a cohesive look for all of the dancers cast in a particular corps.
Just as an example, the costumes for Lise’s friends, of which there are 13 in the VBC production, consist of:
- two different sets of overskirts and corsets from previous productions of Coppelia;
- white romantic tutus used for La Sylphide and Les Sylphides as the underskirts;
- blouses from the costume closet;
- new aprons upcycled from tablecloths and new bonnets made specifically for this production.
Friends costumes, nearly complete, assembled from odds and ends unearthed in VBC’s massive costume closet, and updated with floral decoration.
“The depth of the costume room is pretty incredible for a pre-professional company,” said costume manager TusaRebecca Panucci. “We also have a lot of really talented moms who sew.”
Costuming a new ballet: Making from scratch
Of course, costuming a brand new production usually requires at least a few brand new items. In this case, that meant chicken costumes.
Wings in development for La Fille Mal Gardée chicken costumes.
The costumes are still in progress, but will include yellow leggings and newly made felt chicken masks as well as feathery tunics and ruffle-bottomed bloomers that were a fortuitous costume room discovery.
Ruffled bloomers and newly constructed handmade chicken masks will likely make up part of the chicken costume in VBC’s production of La Fille Mal Gardée.
Brand new dresses
Another new necessity was born of the prohibition on sparkles: a wedding dress for Lise. None of VBC’s existing collection of wedding tutus fit La Fille Mal Gardée’s rural aesthetic, so Ms. Fadeyeva turned to tutu maker Bonnie Kidd with her vision. And as usual, Bonnie delivered. The foundation of the finished confection is a white tulle romantic tutu and a boned taffeta bodice overlaid with embroidered floral net. Thoughtful touches are everywhere: neckline elastic that has been hand-dyed so as not to show too harshly through the translucent fabric, piping finishes on the bodice and an embroidered net inset panel on the corset. The end result is a wedding dress so stunning that no one will miss the bling.
Lise’s wedding tutu for VBC’s production of La Fille Mal Gardée, handmade by tutu maker Bonnie Kidd, who is always up for costuming a new ballet.
The wedding tutu wasn’t the only new dress needed. The role of the Widow Simone is typically played by a man, and Artistic Director Alex Miegel will originate the role in VBC’s production. This, too, required a new costume, created from scratch by talented parent volunteer Kira Smith, who has clothed many adult dancers in the party scene of Nutcracker.
It has been a case of hands on deck to bring VBC’s premiere of La Fille Mal Gardée to life. We could not possibly do it without the help of dozens of hard-working volunteers who were not named in these posts, but we remain deeply grateful to them for their dedication. Come enjoy the fruits of their labor on April 12 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Get your tickets today!