Learning From Performance

The Intro

SDP and POP are overlapping for me, which makes perfect sense. If I am going to write an essay about contemporary or cutting edge performance, it follows that it should compliment what I am doing in SDP, as for me, a huge part of creating costumes is about context. Where do they fit in? Why? For whom and what more does the costume bring?

Back to the Honesty Thing

I have talked before about honesty in my work, so here is an honest statement.

Before I had started this unit on SDP where I am learning about Ballet, making costumes specific to this discipline and so on, I had never even seen a live Ballet.
 Most of my knowledge of Swan Lake came from watching a psychological thriller starring Natalie Portman and I have vague rememberings of seeing part of a televised version of The Firebird on TV. If I go further back I remember a few very uncomfortable lessons as a child. But that is the extent of my exposure.

So there it is. I've admitted it, I may even go as far to say as I feel a little dirty.

If I was to take this even further then the truth is all live theatre production, dance or otherwise was almost unknown to me before I embarked on this course. Aside from the obligatory school English trips for one reason or another I was not a self elective theatre goer.
Now I could wax lyrical for several paragraphs about why this is; I have travelled a lot, never had any money growing up and only came into my passion for costume in later life etc. but I'm not going into that now.

The Point

The point however, is, that at the start of both these units I decided they needed to be underpinned by as much live performance within the genre as I could possibly fit in, dependant on time, travel and cost.

I can report, that it is going well so far.

I was told that in this unit I needed to "fall in love with the Ballet" and I have.

My first Ballet was Swan Lake, front row and performed by a live Orchestra, before the disapointing version we saw the following week by a different company as part of the unit. After that I was caught hook line and sinker and everything else afterwards would only be a bonus.

The Completely Unfounded Statement

More challenging for me was the issue of contemporary performance. To expand on my essay unit, I decided I wanted to look at my own "Perceptions of performance"(which is the title of the unit).

 I know what my perceptions are and I'm afraid to express them. They are akin to expressing prejudice out loud...

I am not a fan of contemporary performance, but I must stress *only* within the confines of dance.(Everything else is fair game).

But, what really? How can I say that? How dare I say that, I've already admitted to my complete lack of experience of seeing live performance. In the world of the arts you are meant to be embracing of all things new and exciting, are you not? The fact that I'm opening these blog post up to some of my tutors to read is enough to make me want to hide my head under a paper bag for the remainder of my degree.

My only saving grace is that as I write that statement it comes from a place of retrospect. Or we could call it enlightenment, humility, I could go on. Ah....

Learning From Performance

I should really say here that the reason I don't enjoy the more contemporary stuff is because of a few things. Firstly, I am a magpie and even though a love performance as a whole, costume will always be my first love and the reason I go to see it. This means big impressive made costumes. Secondly, I am a traditionalist. I like to see the preservation of classic stories, classic art and history. Lastly, I'm a little bit worried that cutting edge (or contempoary) is cutting edge just to be cutting edge- if you see my point; like its trying too hard.

But for the sake of expanding my experience, I have put all these things aside in a bid to educate myself and hopefully change my own mind as I'm sure these opinions are probably holding me, and therefore my work back- not to mention the looks of disaproval of my peers, after all these unfounded opinions unless challenged will possibly cost me a job in the future if I dont start to open myself up more.

The Performances and a Smallish Conclusion to my Ramblings

So what will follow is a list of the different performances I have been to see and a small review of what I gained from them and how I felt, and if they did anything to change my mind(These will be added to and updated as I have time throughout this unit).

I would like to point out that my opinion is changing; this weekend I am off to see a real contemporary ballet, where the artists will not be wearing shoes and I am probably more excited about seeing this performance than anything else I have seen yet, with the exception of that first experience seeing Swan Lake.

All of my musings are relevant to both units as are all the performances. It is nice to be able to express my thoughts down in such a raw manner, in a way that I will not be able to in the actual essay.

 In terms of SDP all the performances are deepening the context of what I am learning about the construction of the costumes, as well as giving me ideas on variations and what I would like to do next to move me on. Going to see all these performances was not expected of this unit, but then I keep returning to the fact that it is self directed, and all this falls happily under that umbrella, letting me soak up new information that I can use to benefit my work.



Totem,Cirque Du Soleil, Royal Albert Hall,  January 2012

Although not seen during the course of the unit this is fresh in my mind. I enjoyed the colourful costumes even though they wouldn't be my first choice of designs to construct. Thrilling to watch but more from an aspect of hoping no one would fall. Loose storyline and more about circus tricks than a story made from the movements of fluid dance. Great use of projection as part of a set. Great to see for inspiration and a fresh look at stage performance.


Swan Lake, Moscow City Ballet, Poole Lighthouse Feb 2012

This was my first experience of ballet. I was front row looking down on the orchestra. It was wonderful, loved the live music, costumes were very well coordinated and the dancing looked perfect to my newly critical eyes. Fantastic introduction into the world of ballet and it has set a bar for other Swan lake renditions.

Swan Lake, Moscow Ballet La Classique, Pavillion Bournemouth March 2012

A week later I went to see this performance. What a disappointment from the last. The costumes were disjointed with mixed colour palates. The music was recorded and the emotions of the dancers were stiff and unbelievable. It was interesting to notice that I could already make a comparison and decide that I did not think it of a great standard. The upside was being able to compare two performances and identifying what made one better than the other.



Balletboyz, The Talent, Poole Lighthouse March 2012

See here for my thoughts on this performance



Missing, Poole Lighthouse, April 2012

This was performed by a local company and was an intriguing mix of theatre and dance(not ballet). it was very filmic and stylised and included puppetry, technology, back lit frames, artists moving on long treadmills, mime, dance and minimal voiced script. I thoroughly enjoyed the mash up of such a contemporary piece and the storyline was easy to follow and left a 'food for thought' feeling.


A Streetcar Named Desire, Scottish Royal Ballet, Saddlers Wells, April 2012

At first I thought the expense of going to see this performance would outweigh the experience. It did not. I really fell in love with this piece, visually stunning, great use of costume all relevant to what I am learning in SDP and lying somewhere between classical and contemporary. I had not seen the film/play beforehand, but I did not need to as the characterisation through choreography and costume was strong. The set was exciting and the music was part live/part recorded. One of my favourite performances and reminded me slightly of Bournes- The Car Man.



Bitesized Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Poole Lighthouse May 2012

This was a last minutre decision to go and see. A dip into classical, modern and theatrical ballet. Again and suprisingly I really enjoyed the contemporary work, even more so because their representation of the Act 2 pa de deux in Swan Lake fell below standard for me. The simple contemporary Concerto with its plain bright costumes was the highlight, showcasing the enourmous skills of the female dancer. The 1920's comedic piece was also excellent and funny with outrageous characterisation and fabulous costumes.


Snow White, Preljocaj, Saddlers Wells, May 2012

This was a 'proper' contemporary ballet, with the ladies wearing no shoes(except for the 8inch heels worn by the wicked stepmother, certainly not satin slippers!) It was incredible, by far the most emotive, seductive and visually stunning performance I have seen. Costumes by the haute couture designer Jean Paul Gaultier transformed the performance and the sets were almost simple futuristic. Highlights included the pa de deux between the prince and Snow White when she was 'dead', so she danced 'inert'. Technique was top notch and even though it was not in a classical style the storytelling element was very strong and the costumes were magical. Contemporary ballet? Consider me a convert.




Matthew Bournes Early Adventures, Poole Lighthouse(with after show talk) May 2012

Matthew Bourne comes to Poole. This is the first time I have seen Bournes work live, and I was not disappointed. It is not strictly ballet- as he said in the live Q&A after the show "we just dance" meaning he like to mix up styles. The pieces were an interesting insight into his first works and at time I got lost into what the meaning of the pieces was. What was evident though was his great ability to achieve strong characterisation, and the choreography was immensely clever. I should have done more research into the pieces to get a better grasp of them before the show. Full of subtle and outright humour, a show to show that dance need not always be so serious.
After the show, Matthew himself came onstage to answer questions, giving further insight into his work. All he said made perfect sense, and there was a relieving lack of waffle. I felt very privileged and was a real highlight of all I have done this unit.

Final Thoughts...(20th May 2012)

All performance is subjective and so I am allowed my opinion. But because I have had some more experience of these performances, my opinion, at least is better founded.

I, at the end of this journey of live performance, would like to retract my statement about not liking contemporary(dance) performance. For I have been converted in a sense. I can whittle down my statement and opinion as I am beginning to uncover exactly the type of performance I dont enjoy, and the umberella under which it sits has gotten considerably smaller.

Reading back over all my reflective posts I have said on more than a few occasion that what I love most about performance are big, impressive costumes, and classical storytelling. What I noticed in the more contemporary performances that I really enjoyed is that they still retained these features like in Snow White and Streetcar particularly.

In fact the unusual contempory elements made the performance more exciting.

Suprisingly, one of my favourite pieces Concerto, by the BRB was a completely stripped back performance with simple one block colour leotards/dance wear costumes. I actually enjoyed this piece for nothing but the skill of the dancers, and I think this was a real turning point. Really falling in love with the dance.

My least favourite performance Balletboyz, just left me uninspired, no creative costumes or set or even a discernable storyline. So really this is a key element for me.

I can now understand that what I enjoy is a combination of good storytelling, creative costumes(modern, historical or fantasy) and live music. It makes no difference whether it is classic, modern or a mixture of both, there is something I can gain from them all.

The Snowy Mountain

Well at least in miniature; ever wondered how much tulle goes into a romantic tutu?
Nearly 12 metres and over 40 panels.

Its soft to work with though, not quite as tough on the hands as normal net, so it is piled high at my sewing machine currently waiting the time consuming process of joining the layers together.

 

This is turning out to be a week of trying to catch up with everything, so its not just the mountain at my machine I'm trying to get through. The main tutu more or less needs to be finished by this time next week ready for decoration, which will take a long time to apply successfully, but I feel as if I am on schedule so far, which is good because I still have a corset to make as part of the set some of us girls are making for a local burlesque troupe.

Just to make things extra interesting I've added on yet another little side project in the form of a Tangled Rapunzel dress for my daughter as there is an impending fancy dress party on the horizon...I have a few pictures to follow in the next post.

The further into the project I get the more I'm thinking about the 'self directed' aspect- I want to take this beyond what we are being taught and really own it, the way I have done with my other areas of interest. I have started collecting books(my secret habit) on the subject and spending time rifling through the interwebs and watching performances, live and on DVD in a bid to educate myself further and to see what else is out there.

I'm thinking I would like to draft up another bodice and/or make another skirt in a different shape or out of a different material, but this will really be dependant on time. Even if I don't get around to more during the unit, I have the bug now and I want to explore and build upon my knowledge base, which means that I will keep making and understanding more each time.

But for now I return to the layers of soft tulle, which already are taking on a distinctly magical feel.

Little Shop O' Horrors

Here they are then; all the mistakes I am making along the way, so I know what to avoid next time.



1.First and most importantly the biggest of my mistakes has been not to write up all my construction notes as I go along. Which means that when I have gone to look back at my scribblings when they were not as fresh in my mind I have missed things or could not clarify what I meant at the time. This has resulted in some of the mistakes I have made since.

2. Working with white- I have already said it is a challenge I am enjoying but with all my efforts to keep it clean somehow there is still a black mark that I think may have resulted from rubbing my eyes over my work and somehow ending up with what may be mascara on the white. Luckily it is on the inside, but do I dare try and remove the mark?

3. A mistake made as a direct result of no. 1. Not reading instructions properly before ploughing on ahead. Here we can see where I have trimmed away the excess seam allowance up to the design line. I did this for every seam. Lo and behold in my notes, underlined no less, it says "except for side seams" meaning I trimmed away fabric that may have been needed for alteration. This is actually quite a serious mistake. Having had a think about it I decided I had come too far this time to re-do an awful lot of work. Luckily for me, this costume will never be altered, instead it will sit looking beautiful on one of my mannequins. If this had been a working costume however, I would have had to re-do the work, as the costumes, especially the core costumes often get worn by more than one artist and there needs to be alteration space in the costume. This was a good mistake to make now however, as I am unlikely to do it again.

4. Test fabrics on iron first. Classic mistake. I have made this mistake before and will probably ruin a few more pieces of fabric before my career is out. Here, after making up the waistband for the romantic tutu I managed to melt one of the elastic inserts with my domestic iron. There is no saving it as the melted edge is hard and would cause much discomfort next to the skin of the dancer. Thankfully I can replace the piece without too much trouble. But I now know to avoid the elastic at all costs with anything hot.

5. Another mistake(edited to be added after the original post), although I have no photo. Once I had sewn down the piping on the bodice, you then trim the SA to 3mm above the design line except you do not trim down the SA at the CB placket. Well I did by mistake. Although this reduces bulk it does not help if you need to alter the CB panel to allow more room. Keeping the SA hidden inside the placket allowance just makes it easier when it comes to the alteration.

6.-(another edit, no photo) I have noticed that in general this fabric is very tricky, as I am sure I have mentioned before. The over handling of this fabric is now beginning to show. I have been very, very careful with it, but because it is a sample piece, and therefore it has been constructed in many stages over quite a long period of time, it is starting to look a little withered. This I feel would ultimately be remedied the next time I make a bodice as I now know all the stages and should be able to make one a lot faster, which means the fabric, if handled with care should remain very crisp.
That's it for now, but I am sure to accumulate a whole many more along the way.

Learning From Your Mistakes

Before undertaking my degree all my construction skills were self taught and everything was on a basis of trial and error.

Learning to understand commercial patterns, getting my head round the working of a sewing machine understanding the qualities and limitations of different fabric. One of the big advantages I have aways had on my side is the amount of time I spend practising my skills. The moment I started making costumes and learning about the history of clothes I have been immersed and because of this I spend many hours a week creating and learning and improving. It has got to the stage now where If I am not constructing something after a few days I can get quite agitated but I see that as a good thing.

When I look back at old projects that I have not got round to completing for whatever reason, I can always see straight away how much I have improved; which means more often and not the project is a lost cause because as I strive for the highest standards in my work so the old work is just not good enough any longer.

All of this is relevant to SDP. Ballet, and indeed my other interests in historical and corsetry are all what I would consider to be at the high end of costume making for performance- in terms of the level of competence needed in their construction, and as such, demand exacting standards. I talked in one of my last blog posts about being honest about my work and where I am at and this is no different.

What I am really learning in this unit is that for my work to be at a professional standard then I will need to carry on perfecting the skills of my trade and taking on board everything I am learning from my tutor-most of which is privileged knowledge, and then to just keep on going, it is more than a good opportunity. 

The romantic tutu we are making is the first one I have ever made, right now, taking all the experience and hours of practise I have behind me I am giving it the best I can, and I feel like it is a good example. But in truth, just like my other old projects, in time I will look back and wonder how I ever thought it was more than "just okay" as an example of a professionally constructed ballet costume.

So really this post came around because at the moment I have the luxury of taking my time to get everything perfect with this costume, and I have been. But I have also made mistakes, but I believe that mistakes are good, necessary in fact. I remember making a huge mistake last year when constructing a costume, and wasting some very, very expensive fabric. Yet I know, painful as it was at the time, I will never make that mistake again.

This is leading me to keep a visual catalogue of the mistakes I make on this unit and keep on adding them so I can look back at the end and see where I went wrong with the intention not to repeat my follies.

Yes, this may seam trivial, in the creation of something artistic will it really matter if I have a stitch line that is 0.5mm out? The answer is yes it does. The whole point of a ballet costume as stated by Dexter is that it should appear to look "as if it was made by fairies", and this comes down to the level of careful construction and eye for line in the application of decoration as well as how you treat the fabric.
It follows of course that if I am going to expect that standard for the ballet costume I make, then I will make all my other costumes to the same standard and it is this that will bring my work up to professional quality.

It is the same for my corsets. Even though I am getting better all the time, I know it is not good enough to sell to the kind of clientele I want to target. If I want to create individual pieces of wearable bespoke art and charge the kind of price that comes with all those hours of work and dedication then I must be self critical and honest. Which once again all starts by to owning your mistakes.

Reflections of Process

A few weeks into the ballet unit for SDP, I have my design, I have a draped and drafted bodice and I have tackled a bright white slipper satin that behaves "like a bowl of water"- a fantastic description of slippery fabrics as dubbed by my tailoring tutor; and backed and tacked that fabric to white drill to give the starting of a bodice.

So far I can honestly say I am thoroughly enjoying it.
The highlight for me is taking steps I have already learnt (although yet to master) such as the draping for a pattern and pushing them on a step further, refining the process and learning how to create something that is industry standard with the inside knowledge, the little details that make all the difference- such as where and how to use the bias in a dancer's bodice so that it clings to the skin, and changing the grainline so that it is running into the CF and CB.

I cannot fail to mention the white here either. Up until now I have never worked with white on its own as I have to admit, it terrifies me, no really I have nightmares about it- and this particular slipper satin is the sort that will dirty if you so much breathe on it.

So I have treated it with a touch saved up until now only for new born children, respected and wrapped it, washed my hands so many times I feel I may end up with mild OCD and really looked at how I have treated my fabric.
My tutor says that you can bruise fabric (I guess like you can bruise a banana), over handling, over pressing, too much steam and too much working and you will end up with a garment that by opening night will look as if it has done several runs.

It goes without saying then that taking all of this into consideration is part of this unit and moving me on as a practitioner. I like that- the fact that I can look back and say, "there, that's when I had a revelation about the work I produce, that made me a better practitioner", and I feel this is a unit where this will be the case more than once, and of course this is the point of Self Directed Project- to be critical and honest about your habits, about how you work, about what drives and inspires you and to learn something from it and that starts with me sitting down, having a good think and putting whats in my head into something tangible that I can refer back to along the way.

Whilst I have been sharing my thoughts it's always nice to have something a little more concise and I have always favoured the bullet point, so without further ado, in summary:

• Refining draping skills, thinking about grainline
• Really looking at shape of panels to give an aesthetically pleasing line
• Working with difficult fabric
• Working in pristine white
• LEARNING TO RESPECT YOUR FABRIC
• Lightness of touch, precise delicate work
• Being self aware and being your own critic
• Passion and enthusiasm and enjoying the work

What is really encouraging is the fact that these skills are all transferable: as soon as I am done with this academic year I will be sitting down to make my first wedding ensemble which happens to be in....white, and already I am feeling so much more prepared to tackle it as a direct result of what I have learnt from this unit.

Finally, after all the words I'm finishing up with the bodice photo :)

Concepts in Context Assessment

I had my assessment in front of two tutors for CIC today, for the Olympic opening ceremony costume appearing in Battle For the Winds http://battleforthewinds.com/. I find it a really refreshing way of having your work marked as i think it is important to get used to having your work critiqued.

It was quite long winded so I am not going to go into all the details but i think it is important to get down a few points:

Because this was a costume for an aerialist performer, what i have learnt in this unit will extrapolate very well across to SDP, as well on what i need to improve on.

My tutors agreed that my problem solving on this unit had been excellent and that the costume looked very well made. In regard to the petal skirt and what it did upside down one tutor said that she "really didn't expect from looking at it that it was going to act in that way", referring to the fact that when upside down all of the petals were away from the harness area.

They thought however that although i had done a lot to make the costume delicate the area i needed to work on most was my "eye for line", the aesthetics and getting the most out of the costume to show off the beauty of the artists body during performance.

The trim i had pinned to the back was completely wrong, which they could see straight away, yet somehow i had failed to notice did not work at all.

As a result i am working trough these problems and making some changes.

But this brings me to SDP and really gives me some things to focus on:

1. Really consider my eye for line. Look at the aesthetics more closely and make sure i am getting the most flattering shapes.
2. Really consider what trims are added. If it is not enhancing the costume, it does not need to go on.
3. Stand back, and then stand further back. Do not get tunnel vision or in too close, see what the audience sees.
4. Make sure I am always pushing to move my processes on, and change what needs to be changed. In order to become a better practitioner I must not stagnate and must be open to the opinions of others who have more experience than myself.
5. Do not become "too precious" about a costume, things change, artist get changed, deadlines moves forward. Live projects are a very different beast, listen and communicate as much as possible with the designer. Speak up if you think there are problems with choices that have been taken out of my hands.

I think there are some very important points in here and i know that if i keep them in mind through SDP then i will really move on in my practise.


I will put the finished pictures up when the costume is complete, for now and in progress shot...

For now i need to work on finishing this costume alongside SDP.

My time plan is this:

Finish applying all the net by hand, including making the changes by next WED (21st). Meet designer at 3.30 to show her the progress.

Spend the FRI (23rd) in the studio, baby overlock the silk to be added to the net bodice, finish armoholes and neck. If i have time finish the binding of the net edges. Hand back mannequin and collect deposit.

2nd-10th- Add all the surface decoration by hand. Finish off anything else left to do, post pictures via facebook to designer, so she can okay it.

10th April. Completed costume to be handed in.

Self Directed Project

The final term of my second year is upon us...


The previous term Concepts in Context involved me making an extremely specialist costume for an aerialist who will be performing as part of a large ensemble for the official Olympic Opening Ceremony in Weymouth: Battle For the Winds. Although I have handed in the academic part of this project (a large workbook detailing all processes and design decisions etc) I still have not completed the physical costume, so this will be running alongside the first few weeks of SDP and I will need to factor this into my work plan.

So, this brings me back to this term.


Ballet.

I will be learning under the tutelage of a man with a great amount of experience in this area and has worked for the royal Opera House. I was really pleased to find out that over the coming weeks we will be learning some of the following techniques:

Female and male bodice drafting
Female bodice draping and construction
Sleeves
Decoration
Romantic tutu drafting and construction

This is then likely to be followed up in my final year where we will undertake the making of a full classical plate tutu.

SDP is a unit where you choose from a selection of opportunities in an area that you wish to explore further, setting yourself a learning agreement of how you are going to proceed with your work and being strict about your own personal work methods as a practitioner. I am my own driving force for this unit and it will have to be done in a manner that is academically sound, to meet the criteria for assessment.


As I have been driving my work and learning within costume for many years now this is nothing too startling for me. Indeed, I have abandoned my old blog and started afresh. This is a unit to really be honest about the way that I work independently and scrutinise my work methods and ethic in a bid to hopefully improve and therefore improve upon the quality of my work.

When looking at all the options for SDP I considered what I wanted to learn in terms of new knowledge, and knowledge that iImay never again have the opportunity to learn whilst I have access to the vast experience of my tutors.
The ballet unit appealed not only to my love of large classical and fantastically costumed performance but also the chance to learn some really precise and coveted techniques, and yes, the sparkle.
I have a passion to cloth the body, in beautiful shapes, and textures, just like I do with corsetry, and although not strictly historical costuming(my other passion) the classical Ballet's were danced 100 years ago, and the re-interpretation of this is exciting to me- and I want to bring this energy into this unit and see how far I can propel myself  when I am in charge of my own learning withing my degree.




This week I have a learning agreement to write and I need to make a schedule for my work plan.