Final Evaluation

                                                                     Evaluation

I have really enjoyed this ballet unit and feel I have learnt a lot of new and useful techniques that will help me in future projects. Even though I have enjoyed this unit I feel that I have struggled with different areas.  

Time keeping was defiantly one of my weak points I never seemed to get what needed to be done on time. Making mistakes also slowed me down which means that I am really unhappy with some of my work due to not having time to correct it. Working on time management will be something I will have to work on for future projects.

Having the screenings each week and a discussion after was one of the most enjoyable parts of this project. The sessions allowed me to watch productions that I have never seen before and discussing the performance made me think about the elements I did and didn’t like about each production. This has given me the ability to be more critical about mine and other peoples work. Having a lecture on the history of ballet at the beginning of the unit put into context where ballet came from and how it became the style of dance that we see today. Whilst going to see other live performances outside of university broadened my knowledge on different styles of ballet.

Creating the bodice has been the most challenging part of this project and I feel very disappointed in the way has turned out due to making silly mistakes. I found the slipper satin rather hard to work with due to it slipping around when cutting but I feel that this has helped me for when working with other difficult fabrics. Constructing the bodice seemed to go ok but I came unstuck when sewing the piping I didn’t cut back the seam allowance beforehand making the back of the bodice bulky and untidy. I also ran into trouble with the fit of the bodice and found that it was just too small for the  manikin which meant it had to altered and from accidently cutting off too much seam allowance from the side seams earlier I just has enough to let my bodice out. Doing this caused a lot of damage to the delicate fabric making the bodice look messy and unprofessional.

Creating the romantic tutu didn’t go as badly as the bodice but I did make a few mistakes such as cutting off too much fabric on the centre back of the Basque meaning that I was able to create a placket for the hooks and bars. Sewing the panels of net together was quite tricky and I feel that some of the seams could have been smaller.  Gathering the net to the Basque was time consuming but I didn’t have too many problems with it apart from catching unwanted net at times.  Levelling the tutu apart from time consuming went well. Over all I am pleased with the tutu and the techniques I have learnt could be transferred to making other skirts in the future.

Having the decoration work shop and experimenting with different braids and laces broadened my knowledge of ballet decoration and how it is created. The workshop was also development my understanding of character portrayal by taking into consideration colours, symmetry and the amount of detail. These being a few of the elements that need to be thought about when trying to communicate a certain type of character and is a skill that I have started to work on and will continue to expand on this in the future. Sewing on the decoration is very time consuming like other parts of creating a ballet costume. The need for accuracy and tiny stitching was quite a challenge but I found through practice became easier and suited my way of working. All the skills and techniques from the decoration work shop are invaluable and will defiantly be transferred when creating other decoration.

Being given the task of creating a ballet sleeve was quite daunting having some knowledge of creating sleeves did seem to help but the pattern has to be adapted to allow for the dancer to move at easy. I haven’t constructed my sleeve yet due to a later hand in but I already feel this is a challenge where problem solving will be needed and the whole process might take longer than anticipated.

  

Through all the different areas I have discussed I feel this unit has developed my skill as maker and has pushed me to a new standard which at times I couldn’t reach. The knowledge I have gained will be a valuable recourse and has defiantly sparked a passion for ballet.

Bodice construction

Creating my bodice has not gone well due to all the mistakes I have made. I am really unhappy with the quality of my bodice and feel like I could have done so much better if it wasn’t for my silly mistakes. On the positive note I have defiantly learnt from them and won’t be making them again.

                                          Bodice whilst still being constructed

Things I have learnt whilst making my ballet bodice

·    The lines from the carbon paper were too thick so need to be more delicate with the tracing wheel

·    Was tricky to line some of the design lines up seem to have got lost when transferring the pattern so need to check that all the lines are transferred in the future

·    The fabric was quite slippery and a bit difficult to work with so need to use more pins to keep it in place and take this into consideration for time management

·    Bodice took longer than expected so need to take that into consideration when creating a ballet bodice again.

·    Some seams need to be left longer than others when over locking for alteration

·    When piping cut seams behind design line so back of piping lays flat

·    Leave extra piping for alterations.

petal painting

Creating the decoration for my ballet costume is rather time consuming but rather relaxing. I have to paint 64 petals with 5 layers with each layer getting more near the edge. My first attempt at this didn’t go so well with the net soaking up more paint in some areas rather than others. I think this was due to paining them on weird plastic.

                                      not a very clear picture but can slightly see the darker areas
 I wasn’t happy with them so decided to redo the whole 64 petals slightly mad but hopefully it will be worth it.  So I have learnt the hard was new paper is better than plastic.

tutu levelling

Tutu levelling is another thing that is very time consuming and that is with only 5 layers. I found levelling the tutu quite easy apart from when the pins used as a guide line fall out.

First layer of tutu being levelled                                   Me levelling the second layer

What I have learnt:

.Take into consideration how long it takes and allocate a couple of days

.The front of the tutu has to higher at the front and lower at the back so it looks correct on stage

. Try to cut smoothly so the net isn’t jagged

tutu construction

Creating the Basque for the skirt was harder than I thought the pattern drafting was pretty simple but when it came to creating the Basque everything seemed to go wrong.  I accidently cut off too much of the seam allowance on one side for the placket so was unable to turn the fabric in on its self to create it. At least I will know not to do it next time!

Gathering the net on the skirt was slow at first but once I got into the swing of things it seemed to be quite easy the only thing slowing me down was sometimes catching some of the skirt whilst sewing my net onto my Basque.

Before                                                                                 After

This is a before and after shot of my romantic tutu now it just needs to be levelled.

decoration work shop

During our decoration workshop I got to experiment with different braids, beads, laces and fabrics to try and portray different characters. I found that creating ballet decoration quite time consuming and at the beginning hard to put materials together to portray my chosen character.  Some materials I found were easier to work with than others such as the white braiding on the Aurora bodice was rather hard as it didn’t go into the shape I wanted easily.

This ballet bodice front could be used for the character Aurora from the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. Even though the braid was hard to work with I think it works well to create a very pretty design. The ribbon on the other hand was really easy to work with and the ruching gives the piece a bit more texture adds to the pretty girly theme.

This bodice design has a Spanish feel to it so could be used in the flamenco section in Swan Lake. After creating our designs we were shown how to attach different materials with different stitching. The main thing when creating ballet decoration is that the stitch has to be nearly invisible meaning tiny stitch which is why applying decoration is so time consuming.

sleeves

Fig 56 is the sleeve that i'm going to create as part of hand in.

Draping on the stand

 Getting the panels in the right place was rather easy but getting the panels equal and  the right shape was a lot harder.The panels had to go in at the waist and flare slightly out at the bottom to make the ballerina's look smaller. Through this draping session I feel I have become more confident in using draping as a way to mapping out a garment.

ballet design

This is the design for the ballet bodice and romantic tutu I will be making during this project. The purple on the design will instead be the shades of greens in the top right corner.

learning agreement

DESCRIPTION:

The main aim of this project is to fall in love with ballet and have a passion for this dance genre. Through the screening of various different ballets I will learn not only what makes a great ballet but why it’s such a unique genre and how it has evolved through the years. The workshops will give me the knowledge to create ballet costumes and through my own research I will have a greater understanding of the genre. I have always had a keen interest in dance and ballet has been a genre that I have always been interested in and enjoy watching. I chose to do this project because I want to learn how to create ballet costumes and learn more about ballet so that in the future I can work on ballet performances.

Through the workshops during this project I will learn the techniques needed to create the ballet tutu, bodice, sleeve samples and decoration samples. Using books and the internet I will research into ballet performances and influential people in ballet. With this information I will put it into a sketchbook which will help give me a clear understanding about the world of ballet. From the three performances of Swan Lake watched during this project I will also write an essay looking at these three versions.

I have chosen to undertake this work so that I can learn the techniques needed to create male and female ballet costumes therefore giving me more insight into ballet and preparing me for the future if I get into the world of ballet.  I also want to expand my knowledge of ballet performances and research into the history and traditions of ballet doing so will give me a greater understanding of how ballet came to be what it is today and reinforcing my passion for ballet.

 

For assessment I will produce 1 ballet bodice, 1 romantic tutu, decoration sample and a collection of female ballet sleeve samples. I will also create a sketchbook of research into ballet performances and influential people in ballet. A 1500 word essay will also be produced comparing and contrasting three versions of Swan Lake watched during the project.

             

Aims:

A1       To provide opportunities for self-initiated, autonomous learning

            and develop the ability to plan time and work independently

A2       To provide opportunity to study the contextual development of costume and performance design

A3       To further develop the creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation within a self initiated environment

A4       To propose, develop and evaluate professional aspirations through professional development planning

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this unit you will be able to:

LO1     Identify and define the context for the development of your own work towards professional aspirations

LO2     Demonstrate an understanding of the development of Costume with performance design

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LO3     Have developed the creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation

LO4    Consolidate and demonstrate professional aspirations and planning                     

Assessment Requirements:

A body of work consisting of 1 ballet bodice and romantic tutu, decoration samples, and a collection of female Ballet sleeves samples plus evidence of contextual studies (1500 words) and personal reflection presented on project blog under pinned by personal development planning (in your blog journal) and a final written evaluation (750 words) evidenced in your Blog               100%

Matthew bourne's swan lake

Mathew Bourne’s Swan Lake was first performed in 1995 in Sandler’s Wells Theatre London and takes Tychovski’s score and sets it contemporary dance. Watching Matthew Bourne’s swan lake was such a contrast from Tychovski‘s.  Matthew Bourne’s version seemed a lot darker with the swan having a more aggressive quality. The story is also quite dark with the prince drinking and longing for his mothers loving leading to his obsession with the swan. This version some people see as homo erotic but I feel that the relationship between the swan and the prince is like a love for a pet which the prince uses as a substitute for his mothers love.  This obsession leads to paranoia through the piece and then leads to the prince’s death just like Odette’s and the prices death in the original Swan Lake.

I though the costumes portray the characters really well for example the prince’s girlfriend wears a pink short low cut dress communicating to the audience that she is trashy and not suitable for the prince.   The wool cropped trousers on the swans gave the look of feathers without being too pretty and feminine adding to aggressive and intimidating quality of the swans. The set for whole production was very effective and the pillars either side of the stage even though quite simple adapted to every scene.

Trockadero

Trockadero is an all male drag ballet company which take classical ballets and add comical elements to them. In our screening we watched their version of swan lake act 2 where the prince meets Odette.  The whole piece was very entertaining with the dancers falling over being very cheesy and the use of different height dancer to add comedy.  All the dancers were very talented and did all the steps from the original Swan Lake. Even though I really enjoyed the piece I thought the comedy did take away from the technical techniques performed by the dancers.

The costumes were similar to the original the only problem I had with the costumes was the bodices playing the female roles didn’t fit the chest very well. Odette’s tutu in the piece seemed quite small emphasising the height of the male dancer adding to the comedy.

Moscow Ballet- swan lake

On Monday the 12th of March as part of this project I got to see Moscow Ballet version of Swan Lake. Act 1 starts with prince Siegfried arriving to his 21st birthday party. The prince had a black bodice and his friend had white I thought this was an odd choice because the white looked more prince royal and black is normally associated with evil. The court were all in a horrible peach colour but two of the female dancers trying to catch the princes attention were in a more subtle shade which I thought looked much better and more delicate. The dancing of the court and the prince was very technically good but the jester stole the show with his enthusiasm.

Act 2 when the prince meets the swan Odette for the first time I didn't get the sense that he was falling in love with her or that the swan was scared of him. The mime that explains how she became a swan was also missed out which was disappointing seeing as the Moscow ballet is suppose to be one of the best ballet companies in the world. When Von Rothbart appears to take the swan away once again he was technically very good but he didn't portray being powerful and evil very well. His purple velvet cape looked quite vibrant to the rest of his costume which I felt didn't work well.

Act 3 is when we first see Von Rothbert's daughter Odile. I thought this part was done better by the prima ballerina than the swan I felt the she danced the role more convincingly. Even though she was suppose to seducing the prince with her dance the male ballet dancer didn't give the impression that he was totally entranced by her. Also in the dance when Odette is suppose to be seducing the prince the choreography normally has 32 fouettes but sadly the ballet dancer didn't manage to do the full 32.

Act 4 when Odette and prince are finally together and die I felt that the whole scene was very messy and confusing because the core of dancers were covering Odette and the price at the back of the stage making it difficult to see what was going on. From seeing this performance I can now see the difference between a well performed and costumed ballet to one that isn't so well executed.

Work Plan

Week Beginning	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
12th March	10am -12.30pm Introduction to Ballet and screening 7.00pm- Swan lake at the pavilion theatre	9.30am-12.30pm POP Lecture 4.30pm-7pm BFTW late night study	Research into ballet/ start Sketch book	9.30am-2.30pm lecture Screening 2.30pm-4.30pm	Working on blog-all day	Work12pm-3pm	Writing Blog
19th March	Writing learning agreement- all day	9.30am-12.30 POP lecture 1.30pm-3pm research for pop	Sketch book work/ writing learning agreement- all day	9.30pm-4.30pm draping on stand, marking up, cut and flat tack, construct and bone. 11.30 am-12.00pm learning agreement hand in 5pm-8pm screening	Working on Battel for the winds costume 10am -2pm working on blog 2.30pm-6pm Going for a meal 7pm-9pm	Work 12pm-3pm Travelling back home Meeting friends	Day off
26th March Easter Break	Travelling to Bournemouth / spending day with parent	Going to London –All day	Working on Pop essay- all day	Working on sketch book 9.30am- 5pm	Working on pop essay- all day	Work 12pm-3pm	Day off
2nd April Easter Break	Working on sketch book- all day	Working on Pop essay- all day	Travelling home	Day off	Travelling to Bournemouth	Work 12pm-3pm	Day off
9th of April	Working on pop essay- all day	Pop lecture 10.30am-1.30pm Tutorials 1.30pm-4.30pm	10am-4pm working on blog Screening 5pm-8pm	9.30-4.30 finishing bodice construction. Sleeves	Finishing anything from last ballet session/writing bog- all day	Work 12pm-3pm 5pm-8pm writing blog	Day off
16th of April	Working on pop essay- all day	Pop lecture 10.15am-1.30pm Tutorials 1.30pm-4.30pm	10am-4pm working on blog Screening 5pm-8pm	9.30am-4.30pm decoration work shop	9.30am-4.30pm basque and waist band, cut net, construct and gather onto basque	Work 12pm-3pm 4pm-8pm finishing anything from last ballet session	Day off
23rd of April	Working on pop essay- all day	Pop tutorials 9.30-4.30	Screening 5pm-8pm	Working on blog- all day	Working on sketch book- all day	Work 12pm-3pm	Day off
30th of April	Working on pop essay- all day	Pop tutorials 9.30-4.30	10am-4pm working on blog Screening  5pm-8pm	9.30am-4.30pm levelling tutu, prepare and paint net decoration	Finishing anything from last ballet session/ working on sketch book	Work 12pm-3pm 4pm – 8pm working on blog	Day off
7th of May	Working on pop essay- all day	Working on blog and sketchbook	Screening 5pm-8pm	9.30am-4.30pm finish bodice and attach skirt and apply decoration	Finishing anything from last ballet session	Work 12pm-3pm	Working on pop essay- all day
14th of May	Working on pop essay- all day	Pop hand in 11.30am-12.00pm	Screening 5pm-8pm	9.30am-4.30 pm Male tunic drafting and 3 piece sleeve	Finishing all work	Work 12pm-3pm	Getting ready for hand in
21st of May	Hand In