The pas de deux

Can you say you were at a ballet performance when there wasn’t a single pas de deux? According to Wikipedia, “A pas de deux is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together.” Whenever I go to the theatre for a ballet show, there are three moments that’s keeping me on the edge of my seat in anticipation: the pas de deux, the tutus and the solo dances of the main characters. In my opinion, these are key moments that should be present in every decent ballet.

This scene depicted abuse in a romantic relationship, so on one hand you have the tenderness and the happy side, which are typically associated with the colour red, and then on the other hand you have the cold lonely side, which can be associated with the colour blue. Hence we decided to meet in the middle and chose this vibrant deep purple colour for the costumes.

Because we knew it is going to be a pas de deux between a male and female dancer, there is a lot of opportunity in the choreography for lifts and turns, so we knew we wanted the costumes to emphasize that. The quickest way would have been to make a leotard with a skirt, but with the lifts, the skirt might slide up and that poses a hazard, so the leotard dress was born.

First we drafted the leotard and then separated it below the waist to add the skirt into that seam. This help prevent the skirt being in the way when the dancer is lifted at the waist into the air. We made the front and the bottom of the leotard with lycra to help with support and to keep the costume in place. For the skirt section we used power mesh, because it drapes quite well and allows for a lot of movement. To add a little bit of interest to a very simple design, we’ve designed a sheer back panel to wrap around the sides towards the front, in order to accentuate the curves of the female figure.

This entire outfit was designed around the choreography, even the placement of the embellishments. We kept it plain in the front to make it easier for the lifts and just added a few sequences near the top neckline and we couldn’t really place any embellishments on the sheer back, because we were afraid that the mesh might tear with the lifts. Luckily the vibrant purple colour really stood out on stage and you couldn’t miss it.

Watch out for our next blog post where we dive into the details of the male dancer’s outfit.

Thanks for reading!

PS: The on-stage photo is from the dance production “When Life Happens” by Les Danseuses Adult Ballet studio. Photographer: Carla Nel Photography.

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