Ballet West’s Costume and Wardrobe Departments have been underway for months preparing more than 1,000 costumes that will be worn by Company dancers for the upcoming season. This year marks the 80th anniversary of America’s First Nutcracker, which includes approximately 350 costumes, including the famous Sugar Plum Fairy and its intricate tutu.
Ballet West is home to eight of those costumes, which required nearly 600 hours of build time and $56,000 in fabric and labor. Each Sugar Plum Fairy tutu has 10 layers of netting, all individually hand-dyed in three different shades of pink, not to mention over 8,000 crystals and rhinestones added to their bodices and skirts.
Costume Shop Manager Cindy Farrimond learned early on in her career with Ballet West how important the tiniest details can be for costumes when a designer kept adding more sequins to the Snow Queen costume in The Nutcracker.
“Sure enough, when the curtain went up and Snow was there, it was just amazing. All of those sequins were needed to bring in the effect of the beautiful shimmer of the snow costumes. I didn’t quite understand before then that everything you add on has an effect.”
Beyond the costumes are all the shoes required by dancers through the season. This season, dancers will go through 1,800 pairs of pointe and ballet shoes, with many of the shoes and ribbon dyed specifically to match their skin tones.
New Costumes from The Royal Ballet
One of the highlights of the season is Cinderella, featuring lavish costumes Ballet West recently purchased from The Royal Ballet in London. “Their productions generally are overwhelmingly gorgeous and everything has a cherry on top,” said Hadley. “The materials are lush, and expensive, with extremely detailed trims.”
Cinderella will be one of largest produced by Ballet West to-date, with over 250 costumes. The purchased production didn’t include the 60 wigs and hair pieces needed, so Ballet West spent 12 weeks of labor creating the wigs, using $60,000 of budget allotted just for wigs.
Most of the wigs are built using human hair, which are then dyed and styled to fit the role. Once the wigs are placed on the dancer’s head, there is an illusion of hair growing out of the dancer’s head, thanks in part to a lace front just below the hairline. Once the dancer is on stage under lights and makeup, the audience can’t see the lace.
The Artistry of Costumes
Costuming is an art form in itself – from draping fabric on body forms, to crafting detailed patterns, then meticulously stitching every seam. Then comes the challenge of fitting costumes to different dancers, each with unique body shapes and heights, making sure every piece is both functional and beautiful.
For the delicate silk material required in one of the Utah premieres this season, Pictures at an Exhibition, the fabric is so fragile that it requires meticulous handling and precise dyeing to achieve the exact shade envisioned by the designer. It is a laborious process. Yet, when the curtains rise and the stage lights pop on, the costumes will shimmer, bringing the music and choreography to life.
Recreating costumes is often trial and error, says Ballet West Director of Costumes Jason Hadley. “I create mockups from the fashion designs, then start from scratch, literally draping fabric on a body form to see what it looks like, then cutting away, or adding more fabric,” said Hadley. “It’s all about taking a two-dimensional design on paper into a three-dimensional design. I have to do the math, which has taken a lot of time and experience to learn.”
Whether lavish or simple, each costume tells a story of dedication and passion. Come enjoy this season’s costumes as part of Ballet West’s 2024-25 season. Subscribe now for exclusive benefits, including free ticket exchanges, discounts of up to 40% off single-ticket prices, priority seating, and first access to purchase additional tickets to The Nutcracker. Subscriptions start at just $156 for five programs, which is less than $32 a ballet. Single tickets, if available, will go on sale Sept. 3, with a Ballet West Member presale the week prior.
Upcoming Season: What You Need to Know
In its 2024-25 season, Ballet West will be only the fourth company invited to present the new full-length ballet telling of Jekyll & Hyde, just in time for Halloween. Cinderella also returns with new sets and costumes and the ever-popular Nutcracker, the iconic masterpiece that has defined generations, all started when Ballet West’s founder, Willam Christensen choreographed the first full-length version in the U.S. 80 years ago. The Ballet West Orchestra also provides live music for the season, under the direction of Music Director Jared Oaks.
Visit BalletWest.org for more information.