English National
Ballet School
COSTUME DESIGN & MAKING
'Velvet'
Artistic Director Viviana Daurante
Choreographed by Mauro de Candia
Performed by The ENBS Trainee Programme
I was given the opportunity to design costumes for one of the dances in the English National Ballet School's Trainee Programme Showcase 2022.
The piece I was given was choreographed by the Italian choreographer Mauro de Candia and combined pieces of music from various well known operas such as La Boheme and Madame Butterfly.
Reference Images
Early Photoshop ideas
Each dancer's individual ruff was designed to match their on-stage personality; some were smaller and neat, others more flamboyant. In fittings I realised that due to the variety of size of dancer, it was important to not overwhelm them.
This project required a lot of hand sewing, especially using traditional ruff making techniques.
I was also responsible for sourcing and purchasing the other costume elements, most of which required hand dying.
It was a humorous piece of choreography, combining dance and theatre. The individual dancers vied for the attention of the audience, always trying to hog the limelight.
Photos from the show appeared in The Times and The Daily Telegraph
Photos by A Dancers Lens ©
