The Costume Shop: Stitching the Show Together
American Legends's first weekend was a success! I attended the matinee performance this past Sunday. Can you say amazing?! Not only was the choreography unique to each musical artist being paid tribute, but the costumes for each section were distinctly unique as well.
Rebecca was kind enough to take a break from sewing to share with us what the costume shop and its staff do to prepare for the show.
Time + Fabric + Sweat = . . . The costume shop has four full-time employees: a manager, an assistant manager, a lead technician, and a lead apprentice. Also working in the shop is an intern who, along with two staffers, is backstage during the run of every show.
The shop put in over 1640 hours of labor to get ready for American Legends. That is over 68 days spent sewing and designing!How do these costumers stay motivated to get the work done? "We listen to mostly fast-paced music in the shop to keep us moving," says Rebecca. They had to be moving because over 140 pieces were needed for the show, 90% of which were made from scratch!
Not only were tutus sewn and suit tails pressed, but different shoes had to be purchased to outfit the dancers for each number. Eight pairs of cowboy boots were purchased for The Man in Black and over 20 pairs of ballroom shoes were bought for Simply Sammy.
What would a BalletMet costume be without some spandex? It would probably be a very bad idea, that's what! That is why over 50 yards of spandex were used in creating the costumes for the show.
Thank goodness for the costumers! Without them and their hard work, the show would not look the same!
Don't worry if you didn't get a chance to see American Legends last weekend because there are still two more shows (4/30 and 5/1)! Buy your tickets ASAP because they are going fast!
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