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: serging
expected date: 04/2020
choreographer: Lihong Chan
background
what: spring dance concert: ALONE/TOGETHER
location: ucsb hatlen theater
time frame: scheduled for 10 weeks
*rehearsals and production are canceled due to COVID-19
ensemble, 2 male, 7 female dancers
this is an abstract dance piece that is movement-based and non-narrative. it wants to deliver an effortless effort in the piece, resisting against and give into the starting of an impulse, and releasing the energy from within. every movement is unique and the energy-driven movements are based on the idea of waves off the shore.
process
overall process: meetings, presentations, discussions, pencil draft, watercolor rendering, ordering, fittings
a week is given to prepare for a design presentation after Lihong Chan, my choreographer's presentation on our first production meeting. since then, i have weekly meetings with my choreographer, costume director, and the production team to keep track and update everyone of my process on my costume design. moreover, i go to dance rehearsal at least once a week to help with my design process and decisions.
during my meetings with Lihong, we talked about what she imagines the dancers moving and i try to picture what she sees. after that, i design for the costume and communicate with her whether this is what we feel excited about before moving on to the process of building the piece.
my meetings with my costume director, Ann Bruice, are to update and discuss what my design is and how i can achieve what i want to do. first, i come up with a design, and Ann tells me which area i can draw better to present my design. then, we talk about what kind of fabric is the best to showcase the result i want. we proceed to order and did the fittings. during fittings, i learn the way to mark and cut dress length on the spot and what to be aware of.
design
the three-piece costume is built with a strapped back leotard with two different styles and colors skirts. the leotard has a strappy line pattern to indicate the energy within that is waiting to be released like how the energy in water is building up until the right moment to release its energy to form waves. the grey skirt underneath has a sheen to it so that when the top skirts overlay, it gives a higher contrast of highlight and shadow to create a depth for the skirts that makes it feel like you are looking at the waves.
the top skirt has a slit to it so that it allows the grey skirt to peek and create a bigger movement and looks like there are bubbles from the waves. the choice of having two different shades to create more depth and variations to the costume. like water, there is a deep and shallow water level, and the colors help to bring the idea out. the color choice on each dancer is carefully picked based on their groupings in the dance, the undertone of their skin and hair colors to create harmony to the ensemble.
challenges
one of the greatest challenges that i also found fun to work on is to decide on what color to put on each dancer. since there are 9 dancers and they are all very different in terms of height and undertones, i need to be careful and take consideration of what colors look better on them and their groupings so they do not look odd when they are in a big group. i take hours to observe their groupings in the early stages and play with combinations of having dancers moving together wearing the same color and sometimes the opposite. it is a lot of planning but it works out in the end when i see the complete dance.
fittings
during fittings, our costume shop staff, my costume director and i put on the costume on the dancers. females put on the leotard and males put on bike shorts. then, they put on grey skirts and pin on the leotard so i can decide the actual placement and length of the grey skirt. then we mark with powder chalk and cut it before the slit skirts go on. the slit skirt is meant to be slightly longer than the grey one to make sure the top skirt covers the grey one completely.
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