This unit has been a huge learning curve for myself and has really tested my abilities as a costume maker. Going into the unit still completing CIC did prove challenging but building on reflection from that unit I planned my time well and completed it without getting behind. Wanting to really improve my grade as I have always stayed around 65 I have looked at areas previously suggested I work on. Technical skills and presentation is something that I planned to improve upon throughout this unit. As it involved a lot of precise technical construction methods it has really pushed me and my skills as a maker to a higher level.
Having not seen many Ballets before, being able to sit down and watch a range of dance pieces and greatly improve my knowledge of the subject. Being able to discuss the productions has encouraged me to really look at performances and have confidence to criticise what I don’t like and why. Watching such a diverse range of ballet has solidified my interest in the area, Matthew Bourne’s ballets, the Trocks Bro showed me that ballet isn’t always classical. I have completely immersed myself in the world of dance, writing my POP essay on this area and travelling to see other dance performances such as ‘Missing’ and Scottish Ballet ‘Street Car Named Desire’. I plan to visit more over the summer so that I have a greater knowledge of the area in time for EMP in which I wish to pursue this option.
As said previously the construction of the costume involved many new techniques which I did struggle with as any person learning a new skill would, because of this my final finishing’s of the costume are not completely up to scratch however this will come with time. Learning these new skills and making mistakes has allowed me to be critical and learn from them. For example; pressing lighter with the tailors chalk, using clean pins and taking care of the costume which proves harder than first thought as even small catches with a cracked nail pulls the slipper satin. The skirt of the tutu was again a new challenge that I took on well. Having had a very creased bit of net which I cannot get the creases out of has taught me to make sure if I’m not happy with the quality of the fabric to change it. I also held the iron too close to the skirt which made it get very thin. All these learning points are things that next time I will be able to do right. I wish to continue constructing tutus over the summer to get my skills up to scratch as I feel in the technical side my quality slipped in some places.
Within this unit we also had a decoration workshop. I found this incredible helpful, learning not to take this at face value. It really taught me to look at decoration to see how they can be manipulated and taken apart to create something else. Looking at colour and thinking of character are important in ballet and need to be reflected across a theatre mainly through the decoration. Having to really think about this during the workshop was harder than you think but it has really taught me to look into the character and what I can add to the costume to reflect that.
Being able to reflect on myself within a blog was a challenge at first but it has really helped me to be critical of my work and allowed me to pin point any problem areas that I need to work upon. It has also helped to improve my time keeping as I have had to keep updating and reflecting so I wanted something to reflect upon.
In conclusion it has been a great unit and feel like everything taught was new. I have learnt a great deal of skills in this area not just technical making skills but contextual as well. I feel my confidence in my own ability and initiative has improved as working independently has been a big part of this unit. Moving into next year I hope to build on my skills learnt in this unit and any issues arisen so that I am fully prepared for next year.
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