Moore College of Art & Design is bringing fashion to Philadelphia in a grand way.
Kieu Tieu made feathers by layering laser-cut pieces and an ombre dye effect, like this costume on dancer Peter Weil.
Before the Philadelphia Ballet’s (philadelphiaballet.org) curtain falls on The Sleeping Beauty, the airy, nimble Bluebird pas de deux takes center stage. King Charming, who was turned into a bluebird by Princess Florine’s family, tries to teach his beloved to fly out of her tower so they may be together—but what really brings this tale to life? The perfect costumes. Taking note of every step, students from Moore College of Art & Design’s (moore.edu) Apparel Design Studio One class created costumes inspired by the ethereal pas de deux. “I’ve been a fan of ballet my entire life,” says Daniel Velasco, the head of Moore’s fashion design program who formed this new partnership with the world-class company. “Seeing your students thrive and create something and then guiding them through the different steps that they have to take is so nurturing and wonderful.”
After The Sleeping Beauty’s March 2 to 12 shows conclude, the Philadelphia Ballet will hold two public performances where Kieu Tieu’s costumes will be on display (May 5 at Cherry Street Pier and May 21 at Sister Cities Park). Dancer: Kathryn Manger
Over the course of 15 weeks, five students brought dreamy designs for the king and princess from paper to fabric. Considering it was most of their first times creating for the stage, Moore enlisted the guidance of award-winning costume designer Holly Hynes—who’s worked on over 250 shows, including 70 with New York City Ballet. While the pieces won’t be making it onto the stage this year, guests can see one student’s creations displayed at the Academy of Music prior to making their way to their seats. “There are many different considerations you make when designing for the stage,” explains Cathy Young, president of Moore. “You have to think about how the design is going to look under stage lighting, how is it going to feel on a moving body, is it going to constrict the dancers? It’s a big learning curve.”
The winning student said the most challenging part of the process was translating what she illustrated to a physical garment.
After the challenging yet enlightening process, student Kieu Tieu’s royal blue designs caught the ballet’s eye, taking inspiration from Chinese “birds of harmony” that bless married couples. “I was basically creating a fairy tale into reality, but of course fairy tales are not real, so being open-minded in finding that balance between the fantasy and reality was needed,” notes Tieu. “The search for the right materials, fabric manipulations and techniques for the ballet costumes was a new territory.” And Tieu’s designs are only the beginning of the Philadelphia Ballet and Moore’s partnership. Young concludes, “We’re really excited about the collaboration with this major art institution in Philadelphia. Where do we go from here? I think that the sky’s the limit.”
Photography by: Vikki Sloviter
