DesignCult: American Repertory Ballet

Our Front Door

photo by Brianna McIntyre

Hi Everyone! Long time no post!

Well, after more than a dozen years in academia and freelancing, I decided it was time to settle down for a year or so and sign a long-term contract. I am so glad I did! In September 2011, I became the company wardrobe supervisor and resident designer for American Repertory Ballet. If you scroll through this blog, you will see I have actually been intermittently affiliated with the company since 2005 when I had a great time designing ballets like an 1830s version of Beauty and the Beast and a 1920s-meets-the-1980s version of Cinderella. So having the opportunity to return to take on every aspect of costuming the company was a great joy!

American Repertory Ballet is headed by Artistic Director Douglas Martin. We work in a lovely studio designed by architect Ralph Lerner. I am lucky to work with a production team that is largely women...a rarity at this level! The dancers are also a delightful, cohesive group of professionals and I look forward to seeing them every day. Our schedule is rigorous. The company produces a huge array of programs of both mixed repertory and full-length works, including a massive touring Nutcracker. Producing this volume of work, in addition to the adventure of accompanying the company from venue to venue, is most definitely expanding my multi-tasking aptitude! To give you a sense of the pace of the work, I designed and built three full-company works in just the first five weeks of my contract! One was made by Douglas Martin especially for the Career Transitions for Dancers Gala at New York's City Center. (The event was sponsored by Rolex but I think they forgot to give me my Rolex - it must be in the mail!)

Below is a random assortment of photos from the past few months. Conspicuously absent are Nutcracker photos. Its not that I don't love the Nutcracker - well, as much as anyone in this business can love it (wink wink) - its just that I've been promising to make a whole post just dedicated to all sorts of Nutcracker fun...and someday I really will!