The costumes of Don Quixote Ballet
Why should you attend a performance of Don Quixote with the Royal New Zealand Ballet? The beautiful costumes for one! Vibrant crimsons, reds, tangerines, and fushia pinks float past giving the audience a Barcelona experience full of fashion and flight.
The production staged and choreographed by Gary Harris and Adrian Burnett stars 2008 Wellingtonian of the Year Sir Jon Trimmer as ‘The Don’ in his 50th year with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Set in Barcelona, based on Miguel De Cervantes' classic novel, Don Quixote de la Mancha, is one of the great comedic ballets. Don Quixote magically combines vibrant costumes, impeccable talent and mesmerizing characters with traditional classical ballet choreography and music by Ludwig Minkus performed by Wellington Vector Orchestra.
Costumes for the production have been designed by Artistic Director Gary Harris. As Don Quixote is a new production for the RNZB, costumes have been created from inception and have been designed to match themes occurring throughout the production including a secret lover's tryst, a robbery, gypsy encounters and a wedding.
Trying to source a tutu for my fancy dress collection I asked the RNZB about the costumes. Dresses are made of silk-taffetas and poly-taffetas. Some are able to be sourced locally but they are mainly sourced from the UK and Germany due to the range of vibrant colours. A small team of people including Andrew Pfeiffer, RNZB wardrobe supervisor of 20 years create the costumes and depending on the size of the show can take a period of time to complete.
Below: Katie Hurst-Saxton dances with a red fan to match her stunning Spanish dress in Don Quixote.
For Don Quixote, the dresses were worked on for the rehearsal period, approximately 7 to 8 weeks. The tutu bodices were started at the end of the last show, Romeo and Juliet, which finished in August. Dresses were reasonably easy to put together because of the time period where Don Quixote was set. For this production it appeared that it was the colours that made the costumes.
Although the costumes are hardly ever on display to the public there was is a rare opportunity for some to be viewed and purchased during the Royal New Zealand Ballet's Great Costume Auction and Exhibition in June. Additionally there is sometimes a chance to see some costumes up close during the RNZB Day at the Ballet education experiences. If you get the chance to see the production, go, if not for the ballet, for the fashion!
For more information on how to see Don Quixote for yourself, until 11 December 2008, go to http://www.nzballet.org.nz/season/don-quixote-2008
Cyndi Greep, 12 October 2008
Why should you attend a performance of Don Quixote with the Royal New Zealand Ballet? The beautiful costumes for one! Vibrant crimsons, reds, tangerines, and fushia pinks float past giving the audience a Barcelona experience full of fashion and flight.
The production staged and choreographed by Gary Harris and Adrian Burnett stars 2008 Wellingtonian of the Year Sir Jon Trimmer as ‘The Don’ in his 50th year with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Set in Barcelona, based on Miguel De Cervantes' classic novel, Don Quixote de la Mancha, is one of the great comedic ballets. Don Quixote magically combines vibrant costumes, impeccable talent and mesmerizing characters with traditional classical ballet choreography and music by Ludwig Minkus performed by Wellington Vector Orchestra.
Costumes for the production have been designed by Artistic Director Gary Harris. As Don Quixote is a new production for the RNZB, costumes have been created from inception and have been designed to match themes occurring throughout the production including a secret lover's tryst, a robbery, gypsy encounters and a wedding.
Trying to source a tutu for my fancy dress collection I asked the RNZB about the costumes. Dresses are made of silk-taffetas and poly-taffetas. Some are able to be sourced locally but they are mainly sourced from the UK and Germany due to the range of vibrant colours. A small team of people including Andrew Pfeiffer, RNZB wardrobe supervisor of 20 years create the costumes and depending on the size of the show can take a period of time to complete.
Below: Katie Hurst-Saxton dances with a red fan to match her stunning Spanish dress in Don Quixote.
For Don Quixote, the dresses were worked on for the rehearsal period, approximately 7 to 8 weeks. The tutu bodices were started at the end of the last show, Romeo and Juliet, which finished in August. Dresses were reasonably easy to put together because of the time period where Don Quixote was set. For this production it appeared that it was the colours that made the costumes.
Although the costumes are hardly ever on display to the public there was is a rare opportunity for some to be viewed and purchased during the Royal New Zealand Ballet's Great Costume Auction and Exhibition in June. Additionally there is sometimes a chance to see some costumes up close during the RNZB Day at the Ballet education experiences. If you get the chance to see the production, go, if not for the ballet, for the fashion!
For more information on how to see Don Quixote for yourself, until 11 December 2008, go to http://www.nzballet.org.nz/season/don-quixote-2008
Cyndi Greep, 12 October 2008
Main picture: RNZB artists as gypsies in Don Quixote.
Photos by Maarten Holl
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