Costume Design for Dance

Catalog description

This course will be an introduction to designing costumes for dance/time-based art. The course will emphasize collaborations with a choreographer and include topics such as: The Creative Process of Design, Where to Begin When Designing for Dance, The Language of Clothes, The Elements of Design, Color Theory, Movement and the Functionality of Dance Costumes, Figure Drawing/ Rendering Costumes, and Fabric Dictionary/Fabric Terminology. The course will also involve learning numerous hand and machine stitches, as well as various design-room techniques, such as taking measurements, fitting and altering costumes, and wardrobe maintenance. Each costume-design student will eventually be paired with a student choreographer, with whom they will collaborate to realize costumes for the choreographer’s work that will be presented during the fall or spring departmental dance productions. Students will also be creating their own resource book throughout the year, which will comprise all handouts, in-class exercises, and notes in a loose-leaf binder. The resource book will be a useful reference tool as students work on various class assignments and/or departmental productions. This course is designed to give students a basic knowledge of the many intricate creative and technical steps involved in the design process when creating costumes. A deeper understanding of the various aspects of costume design for dance is an enormous tool that can not only enhance one’s overall design skills but also allow the student to communicate more fully during the creative process—be it with fellow designers or as a choreographer or director collaborating with the production team. The resource book will also serve as a helpful guide in the future, as students embark on their own productions at Sarah Lawrence and beyond. Students will be responsible for a $15 materials fee in addition to purchasing…