Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Teachers
Costumes
Teacher dance resource developed by The Arts Unit
Selecting costumes doesn't have to be a daunting process. With careful planning and budgeting you can create appropriate costumes for your age group and theme.
Budget
Some questions to ask in preparing your budget:
How much funding does your school provide? In your initial conversation with your supervisor/principal was a budget set aside?
Will your students be contributing to the cost? Is it feasible for them to pay the full amount or a partial amount? Could the costumes be hired to students for a reduced fee?
Can you run a whole school fundraiser for your costumes? Mufti day/school BBQ/bake sale?
Is there parental assistance available to make the costumes? All or part?
Designing your costume
Think about the theme of your dance piece. Does it lend itself to a particular style, colour or character?
Research your theme and gather visual stimulus to help trigger ideas. This could be in the form of artist interpretation of themes, photographs, textual descriptions, history of fashion and other dance performance costume designs.
Think about the colours and their effect on the stage:
patterned fabric needs to be bold to be seen on stage
lighting can chance the look of the costumes
small details can be lost
remember that the audience is viewing the costume from a distance.
View the image carousel for some character costume inspiration.
Considering your dancers
Working within your theme and budget, look for costumes that will suit all students in your dance group as successful costumes flatter all body shapes.
consider how your choice of fabric will move on your dancers
be careful not to overlook the male dancers in the group - they need equal thought
self-esteem can be an issue for some dancers, this can be heightened by costuming choices and can affect their performance quality
Building your costume
Your budget will be a large deciding factor in building your costume. Consider the following:
quantity of materials and bulk ordering
unitards can be used as a base for a costume (an undergarment) which you can layer over the top
assign students a simple colour scheme (i.e black and white) and have them bring in their own pieces
purchase a base costume for students and ask parents to assist with creating the accessories.
Students should always have rehearsal time in costumes before performing on stage, particularly if the costume may impede their movement.
Third-party content attributions
Schools Spectacular and State Dance Festival images 1-21, photographer: Anna Warr.