Saturday 2 March 2013

Sleeping Beauty

On Tuesday I was taken to see Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty,

It was utterly magical. I love Mr Bourne's work immensely and knew that I was in for a good night by crikey, it went beyond my very high expectations.

For me, the costumes are a huge part of the experience. It's the way they move and change that I find captivating. The way the material responds to the dancer and indeed the dancer responds to the costume. If you think that sounds too arty, just think about getting ready for a date. You select something that makes you feel good. There's an element of ritual when you put it on. It has the power to change how you carry yourself and how you express yourself. Clothing is costume.


In the case of Sleeping Beauty, the costumes  added another layer to the storytelling. They were simple and elegant. They were colourful, playful and exotic. They were binding and restrictive. They moved with lightness.


Needless to say that we left the theatre and my little head was buzzing with ideas for lines, fabric combinations and construction ideas. Boy simply smiled as I sketched frantically, trying to get things out of my head and onto paper. When I apologised for being so absorbed in what I was doing, he replied. "I love watching you work when you're feeling so inspired".

After spending 2 hours on a cold, damp, Tuesday evening, locked in a world of whirling colour and shapes, how could I not be?

x

2 comments:

  1. Great to hear that you were so inspired! Can't wait to see what little gems you come up with as a result :)

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    1. I'll post some images when I have something.

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