Back to the Costume Shop

A little more than one week until the opening of BalletMet’s next performance, DanceTech! I snuck down to the costume shop again today to chat with Erin Rollins about the final show of the season. (For those of you who don’t remember, she’s the Assistant Costume Shop Manager and Wardrobe Manager here at BalletMet.)

Q: Can you tell me a little about the costumes?

A: We are making a lot of costumes but they are simple and don’t take up much room. While it is less work than Sleeping Beauty, we are all still busy. We started on DanceTech after Sleeping Beauty ended. The costumes are very fun and space-agey and all of the fabric is hand-dyed. We have a woman who is helping us specifically with the dye because there are different dyes for different fabrics depending on the fabric content.

Q: What are you most excited for?

A: I am super excited about the tutus. In all my years here, we have never gotten the chance to make an abnormal tutu and we finally get to! They are handmade by our shop and we are making one for every girl in the company. It’s a whole new tutu and it is completely different than anything you’ve seen before.

(Since the tutus are a secret until the show, you will have to come see DanceTech to see them!)

Q: Will you be working up until the show?

A: Yes, but it won’t be manic, just some minor tweaking.

Q: What’s next for the Costume Shop once DanceTech is over?

A: We will be finishing up (cleaning, stocking, and refurbishing the machines) before shutting down for the summer. We will be reconvening in July to start on next season.

Q: Most importantly, which costume is your favorite?

A: There are a lot of cool costumes but the tutus are definitely my favorite!

Thanks for letting me talk to you again Erin! I cannot wait to see the finished costumes (especially those abnormal tutus!) DanceTech opens next weekend so make sure to get your tickets! (https://www.balletmet.org/current-performance)

-Kelsey :)