Dance Costumes

Exhibition Statement

My name is Sydney Williams and I am a student at Mount Holyoke studying Mathematics and Theatre Arts. One of my great passions in theatre is costuming. As part of my Dance History course I decided to bring my passion of costuming into dance. Costumes are such an important part of dance. They are used to set theme and tell the story. Costumes change based on dress of the time and what is practical or desired in dance. The following is a Dance Costuming Exhibition for a museum dance history exhibit. Please feel free to leave any comments. I hope you enjoy this exhibition.

Introduction

This site will discuss costuming in dance from the origins of dance to modern day, focusing mostly on the 20th century. Costuming is an important part in dance; it allows for the dancer to become a character and to be transferred to another world. Costumes are an important part of performance and have an effect on the dancers’ movements. As will be shown in this site, there have been many changed to dance costuming, adapting costumes to fit the dance of the time.
This site begins with the origins of dance and ends with dance in the modern world. Because of the drastic differences of dance costuming the 20th century, the section on modern dance is divided by dancer. It gives a short description of many of the important dancers then displays pictures showing their use of costumes.

Following this will be several examples of how costumes are used in various other dance forms. The lower part of the right column of this site will explain how the invention of several fabrics and costume pieces has affected dance costuming.

Dance Costumes Before the 20th Century

Primitive Dance

The origins or dance are found in primitive dance. Dancing was a form or celebration and prayer. Everyone was involved in the dancing and it was not done for show. The costuming of the dance would have been whatever the people of the time were wearing. There was not an emphasis placed on what clothing was good to dance in or should be used in performance. Primitive dancers did sometimes use animal furs and skins as well as masks but these were used more to become a character in a dance and less as a dance outfit. These would have been worn over the dancer’s regular attire. Most of the primitive dancing that we know about did not involve the use of costumes as it was not for show, but for other purposes. It is very difficult to find any information on costuming in primitive dance because it was not really used.

Please note: In the time of primitive dance there was no photography, any photos of primitive dance are reinterpretations that we see today of what primitive dance would have looked like.

Folk Dance

Folk dance is a more organized form of dance that developed after primitive dance. Folk dance can involve everyone dancing or can be done for an audience. At the time folk dance was created no costumes were used. The dance was done while wearing daily clothing. Folk dances may have given the public a reason to dress up a bit but dress was far from that of a costume. In today’s world we still see some folk dance and many dances inspired by folk dance, but costuming is typically normal dress or outfits inspired from the normal or traditional dress.

For example, Irish dance started as folk dance. The dance branched off to become different dance forms. Those that can still be classified as folk dance are usually performed wearing nice clothing, but not a costume. The dances that became for show, such as River Dance and Lord of the Dance involve costuming but these are performances dances, not folk dance.

Court Dance

Court dance developed from the steps of folk dance. When the royals wanted to bring dance into the court system, various folk dances were brought in and the steps were modified to be more court appropriate. Part of the reason the steps needed to be modified was due to the dress of the time. While the presents of court dance were wearing fairly simple dress: women in simple cotton dresses and men in basic pants and shirts, those at court dressed much nicer. The elaborate dress of court consisted of many layers, both constraining and heavy. Women’s dresses were all floor length, not exactly designed for dance. With 20 pounds of clothing on it was more difficult to move let alone do any elaborate dance steps. Jumps became much smaller and quick steps were slowed down some. Although the people of the court were not really wearing a costume, their dress of the day was in a way a costume and it had a great effect on dance of the time.

Romantic Ballet

This type of dance developed in the 18th and 19th century in France. As the dance developed, so did the need for the romantic tutu. The steps and positions of ballet were lost in the floor length, heavy dresses for women at the time. Rather than trying to change dress at the time, dance costuming was developed. The dress of the day became different than the dress for dance. Although female dancers still wore corsets and multiple layers, the dress was much lighter. Also, in order to better see the feet in dance, the dress was shortened to ankle length. This ankle length romantic tutu is the first time we can really see a change in costuming to allow for more elaborate dance. Previously dance had to be modified to make it possible to perform in daily dress. The romantic ballet is also a complete performance. The dancing was done more for show than for the dancers’ enjoyment. With performance a need for costuming develops as well.

Classical Ballet

As ballet moved to Russia, the dance steps were not the only thing that was changed; a much shorter, classical tutu was developed. With the moves of the dance becoming larger and the line of the leg becoming ever more important, it was logical to develop a costume that would better show off this line. The large country of Russia also had much larger stages and the need for large dance steps to move across these large stages. A limiting long romantic tutu would have no place on this stage. The tutu was dramatically shortened to only crotch length, but the skirt was also extended horizontally to still give the appearance of a full skirt. This skirt could then lose its obstruction from the line of the dance, as all of the dancers’ legs could be seen.

Costumes of the 20th Century

Modern Dance

With the emergence of the 20th Century also came the emergence of modern dance. With ballet still mostly limited to Europe and Russia, Americans had had little exposure to romantic and classical ballet. Modern dance formed as a way to explore with movement and feeling. A new type a dance was developed that was very different from the ridged structure of ballet.

The Forerunners

Isadora Duncan

Duncan believed that dance should be inspired from nature and the spirit. She related her philosophy back to ancient Greek beliefs and therefore danced in a Greek style tunic. This type of costume was much different than the dress of women in the early 20th century. She insisted on a free body and did not wear corsets, popular at the time. She developed a school of dance and the dancers were called the Isadorables; these dancers wore tunics as well.

Loie Fuller

Although Fuller is not really considered to have done modern dance, her skirt dances were definitely and inspiration for modern dance in the early 20th century. One of most memorable features of Fuller’s dance was her use of costuming. She often wore long floor length, flowing white dresses that would catch the light. Because she had worked in theatre with sets and lighting she knew how to develop costumes and lighting that would allow her to show her style of dance. She learned the effects of lighting of fabric. The long flowing dresses she wore were extremely important to the dance as they spun around Fuller and caught the light, giving the appearance she was on fire (for Fire Dance). It is also important to note that Fuller did not wear corsets. She knew of their limitations in both movement and breath.

Ruth St. Denis

St. Denis’s dance was inspired from an Egyptian Deities cigarette poster. St Denis Became interested in Oriental dance and used Oriental type costumes in her dance. Although she had never actually seen Egyptian and Indian dances, she formed her own dance based on what she thought these styles were. Her use of costume was meant to show the style of the dance, as well.

Ted Shawn

A choreographer, Ted Shawn married St. Denis an together they formed the Denishawn school. He later founded Jacob’s Pillow and a group of Men Dancers.
Mystère Dionysiaques

Mary Wigman

Wigman developed a new form of dance called “absolute dance.” This German dancer let her origins inspire her dance and dressed in costumes that resembled evening gowns of the era.

Pioneers

Martha Graham

Graham began dancing at the Denishawn school. In 1927 she developed her own dance school with movements developed out of her choreography. Graham was the primary dancer of her company until she could no longer perform. Her pieces were greatly varied in both their style and costuming.

Doris Humphrey

Humphrey joined the Denishawn school with previous dance experience. She later left the company and, with Charles Weidman. Formed the Humphrey Weidman Company with a totally new style of choreography.

Charles Weidman

Wiedman also began in the Denishawn dance school then later formed a school with Humphrey. This choreographer had an amazing sense of good theatre.

Hanya Holm

A participant of the Bennington College School of the Dance in 1930, this German dancer developed her own dance school, company, and style using German modern dance principles and American dynamics.

The Second Generation

Merce Cunningham

Cunningham has worked greatly with chance choreography. His style eliminates dependence on music.

Erick Hawkins

Hawkins began with the American Ballet and later joined Graham’s company, becoming her principal dancer and later her husband. He left Graham in 1951 to form an independent company with a radically different theory of dance which emphasized free flowing movement and Oriental gentleness.

José Limón

This Mexican-American dancer studied and danced with the Humphrey-Weidman Company. He later toured the West Coast with Mary O’Donnell. His dances were strong and masculine and reflected his heritage.

Anna Sokolow

A dancer in Graham’s company for many years, Sokolow’s dances were based on passionate social comment.

Alwin Nikolais

“Nik” began as a musician and puppeteer. He knew a great deal about theatre lights, props, sets, and costumes. When he became a dancer he was able to use his theatre skills to show off his modern dance and choreography.

Paul Taylor

Taylor began dancing in in his early twenties and performed in Graham’s company for six years. He experimented with his own type of choreography. When he broke from Graham’s company he returned to a “more kinetic approach” in his choreography.

Alvin Ailey

Ailey was an African-American dancer that began with the Katherine Dunham company and the Ballet Russe. Ailey went on to create the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater which includes 150 choreographed ballets.

Post-Modern Dance

Twyla Tharp

Tharp’s professional debut was with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1963 which consisted of her crossing stage while covered by a striped beach towel. In 1965 she formed her own company with choreography focusing on angles, diagonals, and circles.