Falling for Dance with our Undergraduate Costumers

We couldn't help but notice these two vivacious undergraduate costume designers. Meet PJ and Adrienne, ambitious and talented fashionistas whose work graced the stage in this year's Fall For Dance performance. Normally, UT shows are designed by graduate students, but we are thrilled to see these two artists paving the way for future undergrads and setting the bar for design. 

S: PJ & Adrienne, what is one research image that resonated with the expression of your dance pieces and why?

PJ: What I get from Seen But Not Heard based on my conversations with choreographer Hunter Sturgis is that the piece explores the idea of the individual versus the group, uniformity versus singularity, and about finding the true self apart from the herd. I looked a lot at Jackson Pollock's black work, as well as the black and white tessellations of MC Escher. Both artists did striking work in black and white, yet one is very intuitive and the other is quite measured. I also looked at herds of zebras, and the survival significance of their stripes. Together in a herd, they form an indecipherable mass, but alone they are quite striking. 

Adrienne: Degas' paintings of ballet dancers really inspired me. In particular, the piece entitled Dancers at the Bar. I wanted to bring the traditional romantic ballet aesthetic into the contemporary. I simply modernized the costumes of Degas and I tried to keep the elements of pointillism in the detail of the skirt.

S: Which musician or artist inspires you to get on your feet and dance? 

PJ: Lady Gaga. Shameless and poor music video choreo will ensue if Telephone comes on while I'm anywhere-- The gay bar, the grocery store, the gym. Doesn't matter.

Adrienne: Lust for Youth inspires me to dance every time I listen to them. Without fail. They're just so good.

S:  What style of dance piece would you like to design in the future, and what would it look like? 

PJ: I love modern dance the most because anything can happen. There are no real rules, only influences, as it draws from so many other forms of dance. I also love modern dance because it really utilizes and celebrates the movement quirks of different body types. I would be very excited to design for a modern dance piece that has choreography that is actually inspired by the movement of the costume. So often it seems the choreo comes first, then the costume design. The costume is at the mercy of the dance, in other words. I would like an equilibrium between the two creative forces. I would like to design a piece that is both inspired by and inspires the costume.

Adrienne: I loved designing a contemporary ballet piece so I wouldn't mind doing it again, but I definitely would love to do a more abstract contemporary piece. Something in which I could really play with shape and form, and maybe the dancers could interact with the costumes as part of the piece. I just love really experimental movement and garments. 

S: You can follow these lovely designers here: PJ Kelly   Adrienne Greenblatt