Powered by RebelMouse

Profiles

Behind the Seams: Ballet Costumes Carry an Embodied History

National Ballet of Canada's Chelsy Meiss wearing the personal "Dying Swan" tutu of Canadian ballet star Evelyn Hart. "Our costumes have the ability to transcend ballet lineage across countries and through the past, present and future," says Meiss.

Traditionally, ballet costumes are made to have a life of 20 to 30 years. But they sometimes remain in use for much longer, being worn and altered to fit dozens of dancers. Multiple rows of hooks and bars show this progression, but it's more apparent inside the costume, where numerous labels can be found bearing the names of all past wearers.

Keep reading...
Trending

Tutus from Above: An Aerial View of Ballet's Signature Costume

Isodale Alexis in a pastel pink stage tutu with a sparkling silver design by Grishko. Jayme Thornton.

These classic tutus, paired with a dose of shimmer, add a starlike quality from every stage angle. Ballet des Amériques' Isodale Alexis, Irene Przywara and Alexandria Ina Rose model these glamorous looks.

Keep reading...
Training

Ask Amy: What's the Best Way to Store a Tutu?

Courtesy Catherine Park

What's the best way to store or hang a tutu? —Leslie

Tutus are very delicate and expensive, so storing them properly is a must—especially if you have pets. (I once woke up to my cat chewing my Marzipan tutu to pieces!) I asked Laura Berry, costume shop manager and tutu designer at The Rock School for Dance Education, for her pro tips.

Keep reading...
popular

10 Ways to Work Floral Prints Into Your Stage Look

Valencia Hochberg of Ballet Academy East in an A Wish Come True romantic tutu. Photo by Jayme Thornton for Pointe.

From tiny floral accents to full-on blossom embellishments, there's a stage-worthy take on your favorite feminine pattern.

Check out this behind-the-scenes video from our tutu shoot, and then see our full array of florals for all seasons in the gallery below.

Behind the Scenes: Flower Power Tutus www.youtube.com


Keep reading...
Just for fun

Finally, An Inclusive Range of Nude Leotards

"Ballet pink" tights and palest-pink slippers. "Nude" fabrics that match only the lightest of skin tones. Unfortunately, many dancewear staples have historically been available only in a single "flesh tone" that tended to exclude non-Caucasian dancers.

Thankfully, in recent years dancewear companies have begun to respond to this issue, offering more varied shades of tights, pointe shoes, body tights, etc. (One former Knicks City Dancer even made inclusiveness the foundation of her business model.) Now, you can also get foundation garments that suit your unique skin tone with the new Mariia True Bare Collection.

Keep reading...
News

Só Dança is Taking Musical Theater to the Next Level

img.youtube.com

Looking for your next audition shoe? Shot at and in collaboration with Broadway Dance Center, Só Dança has launched a new collection of shoes working with some pretty famous faces of the musical theater world! Offered in two different styles and either 2.5" or 3" heels, top industry professionals are loving how versatile and supportive these shoes are! Pro tip: The heel is centered under the body so you can feel confident and stable!

Viral Videos

Try One of These Modern Tutus to Amp Up Your Classical Look

Photo by Nisian Hughes

Transform your next black-and-white tutu look with these on-trend details like mesh cutouts and lace sleeves. And checkout the behind-the-scenes footage from our tutu shoot, below.

Keep reading...
Profiles

These Dancers Went Eclipse Crazy

Unless you've been living under a rock, chances are that you experienced the eclipse-mania that took over the country yesterday. Thousands flocked to the 70-mile-wide path of totality (the path of the moon's shadow), which stretched from Oregon to South Carolina. And dancers were no exception. Ballet stars across the country flooded Instagram with their sense of awe over this once-in-a-decade event.

Dancers at Ballet Sun Valley, the two-day festival starting today curated by Isabella Boylston, were lucky enough to be on the path of totality (in fact, Gemma Bond's new ballet for the festival was inspired by the eclipse). We love seeing dancers from different companies hanging out, and Tiler Peck posted this New York City Ballet/American Ballet Theatre crossover moment.

Keep reading...

Enchanted

It's okay to want to feel like a princess sometimes. Let shades of carnation and rose gold, and dustings of glitter, whisk you away to the pink fantasyland of your dreams.

Training

Ask Amy: How Do I Keep My Tutu From Sticking Up?

msbuzek via Pixabay

My studio purchased practice tutus with seven stiff layers to use in a performance. Even after tacking the layers together, the tutus want to turn inside out when we leap and stay stuck upward. Do you have any advice? —Lisa

If you're going to use the tutus for a performance, you should probably ask your costume manager for help before taking one apart—especially if you're all thumbs when it comes to sewing. But if you don't have one at your studio, I asked costume designer Holly Hynes for her insights. She suspects the hoop inside the tutu is too tight, which is causing it to flip and, unfortunately, stay up. Luckily, you should be able to enlarge its circumference.

Keep reading...

Style Watch: A Timeless Tutu

Look like a pro in pas de deux class with this classic white practice tutu from Algy. The 14” pancake-style tutu has four tiers of double net to keep it perky through hours of rehearsal. A top layer of soft chiffon keeps the netting from scratching your partner’s hands during pirouettes and lifts.

Click here to enter for a chance to win this tutu!

Winter 2020
Cover Gallery   ›
Get the print edition!

Trending