3 replies to this topic

[Jayne]

This is a very interesting video with the RB costume mistress.  The interview with the soloist delved into the pragmatic needs of a dancer (stretch, ability to fully extend, comfort, etc).  I never really thought about the rubies jewels banging into each other on stage (the skirt), but it's a fun to imagine standing in the wings, listening to the "clack clack" of all those skirts.  For the men, velvet doublets with glass jewels must be hot for dancing.  

[Paul Parish]

Wonderful insights into those costumes and how they move, how they're constructed, pick up the light, constrain and liberate the dancers.. Thank you for posting this.

[duffster]

I enjoyed this video, having worn the costume from Rubies myself, it was extremely comfortable- it enabled you to move freely, just as though you were wearing your regular practice clothes. The click clack of the jewels on the costume was not noisy and did not get in the way of the choreography. It was an absolute joy to dance in this piece.

[Anne]

Thank you for bringing attention to this link, it was really interesting and very informative. They have another one about the new costumes for Sleeping Beauty which is interesting too:

http://www.roh.org.u...the-lilac-fairy

The Royal Ballet produces many of these video features, an many of them are of high quality. I am particularily fond of those where you get a glimpse of what happens in the rehearsal room. At the moment there is a very good one with Anthony Dowell rehearsing the final scene of Swan Lake with Marianela Nuñez, Thiago Soares and Christopher Saunders. It makes you see the final product with much more awareness when you have seen, how a little detail, a prolonging of a movement or a glance in the right direction, can make a hugh difference in the final impact on the audience.

Link to the Swan Lake feature video: http://www.roh.org.uk/video/

I think it is wise, in more than one aspect, to make this kind of videos, with a more educating and enlightening approach, instead of only focusing only on the purely commercial ones.