My Favorite Costume

October 6, 2012


The Joffrey Ballet’s April Daly as Desdemona and Fabrice Calmels as Othello in Lar Lubovitch’s Othello (Herbert Migdoll)

APRIL DALY

The Joffrey Ballet

“All of Desdemona’s costumes in Lar Lubovitch’s Othello are amazing. They’re flowy and romantic. We use the same Othello costumes that have been worn by Julie Kent at American Ballet Theatre and Yuan Yuan Tan at San Francisco Ballet, and it’s cool to step into something that has been worn by such beautiful dancers.

“Also, it’s not the most stunning costume in the world, but I love my costume for Jerome Robbins’ In the Night. It’s so elegant and formal. I remember when I first put it on—I was like, ‘Wow, I feel like a professional ballerina.’ ”

 


Keelan Whitmore in Alonzo King’s Scheherazade (Quinn B. Wharton)

KEELAN WHITMORE 

Alonzo King 
LINES Ballet

“My favorite costume is the red skirt from Alonzo King’s Scheherazade. The way it responds to my movement gives my dancing even more texture, and it’s comfortable to wear while performing this demanding role. It’s not often that men wear skirts in our culture anymore. The extra material empowers me.”

 

 

 

 


Amanda Balen in Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” video (courtesy Amanda Balen)

AMANDA BALEN

Dancer with Lady Gaga

“One of my favorite costumes is a face mask I wore for Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ music video and for her 2011 Grammy Awards performance. It’s like an extension of my face: There are two points that go up above my left and right eyebrows, as well as two enhanced cheekbones. Everything is sharp-edged and extreme. I love it because of what it represents: a new race, born free of judgment and hatred. The whole idea behind ‘Born This Way’ is to empower people and to promote self-love and self-acceptance.”

 

 

 

 


(courtesy MSG Entertainment)

SYNTHIA LINK

Radio City Rockette

“My absolute favorite costume is for the ‘Let Christmas Shine’ number. It’s encrusted with thousands of Swarovski crystals, so when I wear it, I feel so glamorous. To be a Rockette is to be confident, strong and beautiful. This costume really symbolizes our strength as women.”

 

 

 


Peta Murgatroyd and Donald Driver on “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC/Adam Taylor)

PETA MURGATROYD

“Dancing with the Stars”

“Last season on ‘DWTS,’ I partnered with Donald Driver, and my red Argentine tango dress was totally my favorite. The Argentine tango is an extremely sexy, sensual dance, so I wanted to go for a daring dress. One whole side of my body was exposed with a big black flower on my shoulder, and the other was covered with red stones.”

 

 

 

 


Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancers Lesley Rausch as Titania and Batkhurel Bold as her cavalier in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Angela Sterling)


LESLEY RAUSCH

Principal at Pacific Northwest Ballet

“My all-time favorite costume is the Titania costume from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The skirt has a nice, silky flow, but it’s fitted at the top. It shows off the lines of my body well, and it’s super comfortable because it’s lightweight and a little stretchy—always good attributes for a costume!

“I love this costume partially because Midsummer was the first ballet I was ever involved in as a student at PNB. I remember watching Patricia Barker dance the role of Titania, wearing this costume, and thinking how beautiful she looked and how I would love to do that part someday. Fortunately, that dream has come true. I think I actually wear the same one [Barker] did!”

 

 


Heather Ogden in The Sleeping Beauty (Jubal Battisti)

HEATHER OGDON

Principal at The National Ballet of Canada

“Aurora’s first-act costume in our production of The Sleeping Beauty has such a beautiful tutu. I love the way it slopes down and the peachy-pink color with the gold detail is totally up my alley—it has that young, beautiful, sweet feel to it. It’s what little girls think of when they imagine a ballerina.

“The first time I was cast to do the role, I didn’t get to do my premiere because I was injured. I remember thinking, ‘But that costume! I won’t get to wear that costume!’ It was always a bonus, even from the beginning.”

 

 


Sidra Bell in STELLA (Bruce Zinger)

SIDRA BELL

Artistic director of Sidra Bell Dance New York

“I like really ornate, highly designed costumes—not always expensive, but always stylized in their aesthetic. For the last piece I made, STELLA, I worked with a designer named Erin Schultz. It was my favorite costume-building process because we started from scratch, mixing patterns. I work with a lot of fantasy ideas, and this costume really heightened that because it was unisex and the patterns were so extreme. It felt old-world but futuristic at the same time.”