6ft Studios

 

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How to Avoid a Wardrobe Malfunction

Derrick Bassett

Costuming is a great way to accent choreography and can really add that final touch to make a piece memorable. Whether it be bright, bold colors with bling and a flipped hat for a hip-hop routine or beautiful, flowing sleeves that add elegance to a ballet number; the possibilities are endless. When deciding on costumes (as well as rehearsal dress code) there are a few basic items and guidelines to consider...

Leotards
Leotards act as both a rehearsal and performance garment. While professional dance companies and studios will often utilize a leotard for both rehearsal clothing and costumes; in the church they act primarily as a foundation garment in order to maintain modesty. Leotards are available in many colors including pink, nude, white, and black. The design and color of a costume will determine the color and style of the leotard and vice-versa. In addition to maintaining modesty on stage; leotards underneath outfits also allow multiple dancers to change costumes in a common area off stage. 6ft Studios requires all female dancers to wear a black leotard for all rehearsals and performances. Different colors may be utilized as needed depending on costume designs with the exception of nude (due to its design to appear as the dancer's flesh). Most of the time male dancers are not required to wear a leotard, but rather a black undershirt that can be tucked in.

Shoes
There are many different styles, designs, and colors of shoes available for different dance applications. Hip-hop dancers will use tennis shoes or split sole dance sneakers. Jazz and lyrical dancers may use split sole jazz shoes. Ballet dancers may use split sole jazz shoes or ballet slippers. Your choice will depend on dance style and preference. 6ft Studios requires all dancers to wear plain, black split sole dance sneakers for performance. Tennis shoes are permitted for hip-hop rehearsals and jazz shoes, ballet slippers, or bare feet will be utilized for performance depending on style and choreography.

Hair, Jewelry, and Make-up
These areas should also be considered when designing or choosing costumes. In most cases there are no hard and fast rules or standards and will vary with personal preference and design. The basic guidelines for 6ft Studios are as follows: Hair - 70% pulled back, 30% down for females and styled hair with trimmed or clean shaven facial hair for males. Jewelry - kept to a minimum for both males and females for safety and to reduce any glare from lighting. Males are not allowed to have ear rings and neither males or females are allowed to have other facial or body piercing. Make up - all females are required to wear basic performance make up for performances and males may be required to do so as well depending on lighting. Both males and females are also required to cover any visible tattoos with make-up. (Note: This standard is held because we work with a variety of churches that have differing view about piercing and tattoos.)

There are three basic guidelines we follow when purchasing or designing costumes; functionality, modesty, and safety.

• Functionality: It is important that costumes allow for ease of movement. There are no hard and fast rules here about certain kind of fabrics, cuts, or styles to avoid - it all depends on the choreography. For example: jeans may be fine for a hip-hop routine, but when trying to do leaps or high kicks during a ballet number they may limit the range of motion.


• Modesty: As dance becomes increasingly popular in the church along comes the issue of modesty - both in dance style and moves as well as costuming. It is usually best to refrain from using very low cut and tight tops, tight pants, as well as dresses with high slits. Leotards and tights or leggings can be your best friend here; their implementation will often allow the use of a garment that would be immodest other wise. Each church and audience member is going to have their own standards for modesty and it is important to know those expectations. Unfortunately, we can't always please everyone and every so often there will be someone who thinks the costuming was a bit too racy. When in doubt, don't. Or...ask your pastor or church leader to attend a rehearsal to double check that costumes are modest and meet expectations.


• Safety: The performer's safety should also be of high concern when considering costumes. Always be sure that costumes are hemmed to the correct length to prevent tripping and avoid the embarrassment that accompanies costumes being torn on stage. Also, whenever possible try to use either fire retardant (FR) or inherently fire retardant (IFR) material; both are effective, but IFR material offers more protection. While fire retardant material may seem like over kill; using lighting, candles, or other special effects in close proximity to performance area can pose a fire hazard.

It is important to remember that not everyone will look good in the same outfit and it is a good idea to check outfits a few weeks in advance. A dress rehearsal is key to this step. It will allow you to see, make note, and prevent any problems with costumes (as well as choreography). If you are in need of costumes or other dance wear such as leotards and dance shoes you can visit www.discountdance.com. They provide name-brand costumes, shoes, dance wear, and accessories at a reasonable price.