Ballet Ouest’s Pan! 2016 Costume Diary
At the end of each teaching year, Ballet Ouest presents a
ballet production. 2016 saw Pan, Claude Caron’s adaptation. We have already
presented this piece 3 years ago so most of the costumes were already designed
and fabricated. My job, as the costume manager, was mostly to fit, adjust and
reproduce the pieces that were going to be used again. Classes are growing at
the school each year, so I was asked to create a new costume for the Fairies,
replace the Shadows’ costume and update the main character, Peter.
Creating the Fairies:

I have made wings in the past, but I wanted really pretty and
intricate ones! So after looking online for DIY tutorials for Fairy wings, I
decided to go to my local hardware store, buy some thick gauge wire to create
the shape of the wings and go to the dollar store and buy out all the nylon
stockings they had! Some Krylon spray paint and some glitter glue and away I
went.
I followed these 2 sites' instructions:

I was extremely pleased with the result! They looked lovely
on stage and the choreography was simply breath taking.
Updating Peter:

Replacing the Shadows:

Last time around, we put the girls in black leotards, black
tights and a small black scarf around the hips. The dancing was impressive but
the costume did not represent Peter’s Shadows. I put my thinking cap on and
came upon the idea when I was working on re-designing Peter’s costume. Why not
make ALL the dancers LOOK like Peter but in black?! My idea was approved by Mr.
Caron, I then needed to execute the idea. Having so many dancers at once on
stage AND also such a range of sizes, I needed to find an economical way of
creating these shadows. Luckily, a really big bolt of black fabric had been
donated a few years ago to the studio and it was the perfect weight and I had
exactly enough to make all the tops and the hats required. My good friend
Maaike helped me create the top’s pattern and I put all my volunteers on the
task of cutting and sewing. The results were quite remarkable on stage. Now
there was no question that these were Peter’s Shadows.
I guess that I was not the only one happy with the costumes
for both our Competition Team and the end of year show. Ballet Ouest presented
me with a lovely certificate to show their appreciation.
All in all Pan was a resounding success! Everyone did an
amazing job and looked incredible on stage. Now I turn my attention to the next
projects, Nutcracker 2016, Competition Team 2016-17, Ballet Ouest’s season and
our end of year show…. I can’t tell you what that is yet, it is a brand new
production! Stay tuned for more information.