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91. Behind the Seams: The Art of Ballet Costuming with Florimund’s Founder Janessa Urwin
147 Plays15 days ago
This week on The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by Janessa Urwin: former professional ballerina, Resident Costume Designer for American Repertory Ballet, and founder of Florimund’s, a luxury ballet costume rental company.
Janessa shares her unique journey from dancer to designer, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the world of ballet costuming. We talk about everything from constructing tutus that survive decades of performances to helping dancers feel confident and transformed the moment they step on stage. We also chat about career pivots, creative entrepreneurship, and the many meaningful ways to build a life in ballet beyond performing.
Whether you’re a dancer, teacher, studio owner, or just love the magic of ballet productions, this episode will give you a peek behind the seams at the passion and work that goes into crafting gorgeous costumes.
Key Points in this Episode:
- How Janessa began learning the art of costume design while still dancing professionally
- What the costume design process really looks like and the unique challenges of designing for dancers
- How ballet costumes are built to last and get passed down through generations
- Practical tips for dancers during costume fittings (what to speak up about!)
- Why beautiful, well-fitting costumes elevate performance and confidence
- Founding Florimund’s to simplify the costume rental process and make high-quality tutus accessible for everyone!
Connect with Florimund’s:
WEBSITE: florimunds.com
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/florimunds
Links and Resources:
1-1 Career Mentoring: book your complimentary career call
Let’s connect!
My WEBSITE: thebrainyballerina.com
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/thebrainyballerina
Questions/comments? Email me at caitlin@thebrainyballerina.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Purpose of the Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
It just makes you feel a certain way, especially as a young ballerina. Like, putting on your first tutu is like such a special moment. And so I just think that everyone, for all their performances, should have access to a professionally made tutu that feels good when they put it on or they feel extra sparkly. And it changes your performance. It changes the way you dance.
00:00:26
Speaker
I'm Kaitlin, a former professional ballerina turned dance educator and career mentor, and this is the Brand New Ballerina podcast. I am here for the aspiring professional ballerina who wants to learn what it really takes to build a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry.
00:00:42
Speaker
I'm peeling back the curtain of professional dance world with open and honest conversations about the realities of becoming a professional dancer. Come along to gain the knowledge and inspiration you need to succeed in a dance career on your terms.
Meet Janessa Irwin: From Ballerina to Designer
00:01:00
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Brainy Ballerina Podcast. I'm your host, Caitlin Sloan, and I am joined today by Janessa Irwin. Janessa is a former professional ballerina, resident costume designer for American Repertory Ballet, and the founder of Floramans, which is a company providing luxury ballet costume rentals for competitions and performances. Before we get into all things costumes today, i would love to hear from you how you got into dance and why did you take your very first dance class?
00:01:30
Speaker
Thank you so much, Caitlin, for having me. I grew up in a house that was, both my parents were music teachers, and so music and art was very encouraged in my house. Both my sister and I did music, piano, band and choir. and dance. When I was seven, I remember saying to my mom, I really want to take ballet lessons. I really want to take ballet lessons. And my mom had a friend, former professional ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet. Her name is Pamara Perry. She was one of my instructors. She had said to my mom, well, you know, if she's seven, maybe give it until she's eight years old. She's going to have nice, strong ankles for starting serious training. And so my mom made me wait until I was eight.
00:02:09
Speaker
I loved it. I never really stopped until I became an adult. What was your training like growing up? I started in upstate New York with kind of a small dance school. When it became clear I was really wanting to pursue dance as a profession, my mom moved me to a different school in Albany, New York that had just a little more specialized training. And that was a Balanchine school. Actually, the instructor was from New York City Ballet. So I had a little bit of like a Balanchine background there. And then i ended up moving my senior year of high school to the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts in Connecticut. And I did Vaganova training there.
00:02:46
Speaker
So I was at Nutmeg for two years training there before I got my first professional job in
Challenges and Highlights of a Dance Career
00:02:52
Speaker
New Jersey. What was it like training in such different ballet techniques going from Balanchine to Viganova is sort of both ends of the spectrum, I would say.
00:03:00
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, luckily, as a kid, I feel like I was pretty open-minded to everything. And I, you know, if I was told, oh, do it this way, you know, and then the next year I had a different teacher saying, oh, no, you shouldn't do it that way. You should do it this way. Luckily, most of my instructors...
00:03:16
Speaker
explained why certain techniques and certain skills are important to different styles of ballet. I feel like it was actually really beneficial to have kind of more of a well-rounded understanding of different ways to move the body. And I'm so glad that I did have the Vaganova training because I feel like after learning all the different styles of ballet I had in the past, Vaganova to me felt almost like going back to basics, like back to your beginning scales on the piano. I did really love doing class in that technique. What was your transition like into a professional career? It was a lot different than I thought it was going to be, actually. So I had this vision of, you know, I was going to become a professional dancer and I was going to take class every day in the morning. And then the rest of my days would be spent dancing and rehearsing and performing. And actually, you still have to take a lot of classes as a professional dancer. So when I was, ah i remember like really eager to get out of school and and was like, oh, was so tired of taking, you know, two to three to four technique classes every day. was like, I just want to rehearse. But actually as a professional, we did take
00:04:26
Speaker
usually one to two classes every day still. But on the flip side, it was just a lot of dancing and learning new repertoire and perfecting it, but also not having as much, nearly as much time as you do when you're a student. I remember learning a piece and then we'd be performing it four weeks later. And I would feel like, but I just learned it. I i have, I like, don't even know if I'm good at it yet, but you just sometimes have to go do it. Mm-hmm. Can you share some of the highlights from your professional career, some of the standout moments for you? Yeah, I had this amazing opportunity, actually several opportunities. I worked with a party planner who was very influential in like the greater New York City metropolitan area. And he knew my artistic director at the time. And he needed a ballerina for a wedding that he was doing. And he wanted this ballerina to come out of this music box and be like a surprise for the bride. And he picked me.
00:05:24
Speaker
So I got to do this wedding, which was just amazing and so much fun. And the look on their faces, they were not expecting a ballerina at all in their wedding. So that was really fun. But then the same party planner did Tommy Toon's partner's birthday. And Lilianne Montavecchi was also there. So they're big Broadway stars, Broadway choreographers. And i got to dance together. on top of a piano at Shea Josephine in New York City for that event. And that was quite exciting and definitely not what I ever thought I would do as a professional dancer. When did you first start becoming interested in costuming?
Transition to Costume Design
00:06:00
Speaker
I moved from my very small company in New Jersey to a slightly larger company in New Jersey called American Repertory Ballet, which is where I currently am the resident costume designer. And when I moved into that company. i was dancing, but also wanted to make some money on the side. And I had had sewing skills just from school. And as a girl, I enjoyed sewing and making my own clothes. And my mom taught me to sew. And my grandparents bought my first sewing machine when I graduated from high school. So I had some self-taught kind of skills and they were looking for some help stitching in the costume shop there. So I asked if I could do some stuff for them. The woman who was running the costume shop at the time said, oh yes, this would be so great. She gave me a project. I did it. And she must've liked my work because she said, you know what, can you, you want to do more this season?
00:06:51
Speaker
And then as we went through that season, by the time we got to January, she offered me a full-time position as her assistant in the costume shop. And it meant stopping dancing professionally. and at that time, it felt like it was a little scary, but it was a really good time, i think. because I wasn't quite sure where I was getting with my professional career. You know, I wasn't quite good enough to get into like a very big company where I could dance in all these corps de ballets and then dancing with a smaller company. I just kind of felt stuck and I wasn't really sure what direction my life was going in. So I just felt like I had this opportunity and I took it. So I became her assistant.
00:07:30
Speaker
And I worked with her for two to three years, kind of learned on the job. And then she left and I took over for her. And at the time I was just supervising costumes for the school. And then there was a colleague that I worked with who supervised costumes for the company. Fast forward a couple years later, she got married and moved to Canada. And so then I became the head of the department. And it wasn't until...
00:07:55
Speaker
Later, we had some transitions in artistic leadership, and they brought in Ethan Stiefel as our artistic director. And I worked with him on a couple of projects designing, and I really loved working with him and his design process. So then after maybe a year or two, he offered me the title of resident costume designer at American Repertory Ballet. So that was such an honor for me to be able to accept that and hold the title I have now. Talking about the design process more that you just spoke of, What does that look like when you are working with a choreographer on a new costume? Do they come with ideas? Do you usually bring ideas? How does that whole process
The Art and Science of Costume Design
00:08:34
Speaker
work?
00:08:34
Speaker
A lot of times as a costume designer, you actually are not doing as much designing or free work as you think you are or you think you're going to be able to do, but it doesn't make the job any less fulfilling. So normally, for example, working with Ethan, when he comes to me with a project, he already has an idea of kind of what he wants the project to look like. Maybe he has a feeling of the style or has a feeling of the colors or has an idea of the story. And so what he's looking for from me then is to take kind of his general ideas and funnel them into like a more specific style. And that to me is like one of my most favorite parts of designing because it means I get to take his ideas. So I have a place to start.
00:09:18
Speaker
And then I go and I do research and research is, you know, sometimes if you're doing a period ballet that's set in a certain time period, you do all kinds of research on that time period. But even if you're doing something more abstract, I still like to do a lot of research in terms of looking at runway shows or looking at nature or whatever the theme kind of is to help me have a direction and,
00:09:44
Speaker
take some abstract ideas and then make them accessible for the audience. They understand what they're looking at and they're not just seeing random clothes on random people. So the research part of the design process is really fun. And then after that, I usually make some mood boards maybe, which is kind of a general, oh, I have some photos that kind of show where I'm going. And then if those get approved, Then I'll actually go and do a sketch for each character. I'll find fabric swatches. Then it snowballs and it takes off very quickly and the deadlines come up really quickly and you have to make all the costumes and you have to source all the people who are going to help you sew and you have to make all the headpieces and accessories and dye tights and match shoes to the tights and it's a whole process. And it doesn't start at opening night. It goes through the weekend, usually through the first weekend.
00:10:30
Speaker
Do you find that you're making a lot of adjustments and like little things throughout an entire performance run? Normally, by the time we get to opening night, I don't change too much about the designs necessarily. And by then, my fantastic wardrobe supervisor has done a great job of fitting everybody and everyone feels good in their costume. Their costume fits really well. But on occasion, we'll have things rip. Things get stained or a lot of times what happens with tutus, a lot of people don't know this, the bodices as they get warm and sweaty, they stretch out. So sometimes by the end of the run, we are adding more rows of bars or tightening the costumes for the dancers. What are some things you have to consider when you are creating costumes for dance as opposed to if you were doing it for theater or something like that?
00:11:21
Speaker
Yeah, when you're ah an actor or ah an opera singer, for example, a lot of times you're not necessarily doing a whole lot with your body aside from acting like a person because you are a person. But when you are in a ballet, your whole job is to lift your arms over your head and bend over backwards and all these crazy acrobatics that dancers are expected to do. yeah.
00:11:46
Speaker
There's definitely a balance of finding the right fabric, cutting the garments in a certain way so that we add extra fabric into places like underneath the arms so that the men, for example, can lift their arms all the way. And then there's just a trick to making sure, like, if you're doing a period ballet, Nutcracker is a great example. Everyone knows the Nutcracker and traditionally it's set in the Victorian period. So a lot of the ball gowns in Act One are like off the shoulder. But if you wear actually a Victorian gown, you can't lift your arms because your shoulders are stuck with the way the dress is made. So there's a lot of tricks to make a costume look period appropriate, but that they can actually function well. We use elastic in a lot of places and spandex in a lot of places. The other piece of that too is a lot of times we will have
00:12:40
Speaker
more than one dancer wear the same costume over the course of a weekend. I take that into consideration when i'm when I'm making a costume. Is this going to fit a small dancer and a very tall dancer at the same time? What adjustments need to be made on the inside of the costume so that we can accommodate that later without having to do crazy alterations in between every show?
00:13:00
Speaker
One thing that I think is really cool about ballet is that costumes do tend to be worn and altered and passed down through lots of generations. Can you talk about the tradition of costumes just being passed down or even traded between companies? Ballet costumes are very expensive to make. They're very intricate. And also there's a very specialized skill set that it takes to make ballet.
00:13:23
Speaker
ballet costumes versus regular clothes or theater costumes or something like that. That's why ballet costumes can sometimes be hard to find or really coveted by companies in general. At American Repertory Ballet, we make a lot of our own costumes, but we also rent a lot from other companies and they rent from us too, because it's kind of a way to help each other in terms of our costs and the people we know who are really talented making these things. There's something really, really special about knowing as a dancer that you are putting on a costume that someone famous wore before you, that one of your idols wore before you. We purchased recently set of costumes for ARB that came from I believe they were originally made for American Ballet Theater and they had been purchased by another teacher and she was using them in her school and then she was ready to retire. So we purchased them. But I looked inside one of the tutus we bought and my teacher's name was in there. I like freaked out and I sent a photo of it to a lot of my friends from Nutmeg and I said, look who, look who wore this tutu. And that was so special for me and I wasn't even dancing anymore. So I just think that there's this wonderful tradition of feeling like, oh, this is going to be my best performance ever because I'm wearing the same costume that so-and-so you know, number of years ago.
00:14:46
Speaker
Another great example too at ARB, we have one of Peter Martin's old tunics. And every time we do Swan Lake, the boys are like, do we get to wear the Peter Martins tunic? It's just really special. And I think it's a tradition kind of unique to ballet in a lot of ways.
00:15:01
Speaker
What other considerations do you have to have when you're designing a costume in order for it to survive everything we put it through and make it through all these decades of voyeur?
00:15:13
Speaker
That can be a really tough one for a designer, especially because I'm kind of in a unique place where I design and I construct things. But as a designer, you know, i want to use all of these diaphanous fabrics and these like silks and these rich. But I also know from experience that a lot of these very delicate fabrics or fabrics,
00:15:36
Speaker
after many, many wears and dry cleaning, it wears out really quickly. So I think fabric is a big decision, you know, making sure you're using really good sturdy fabrics and really making sure you take care of the costumes in between wears. That's really big. Another thing I do a lot when I'm making costumes is I always make sure that there are elements of the costume that are easily replaced without having to take apart the whole costume. So for example, when I sew elastics to my tutus, the elastic straps, I make sure that they're sewn on last and that they're sewn on on top of any kind of trims or anything on the inside of the costume because elastic tends to wear out faster than the fabric does.
00:16:22
Speaker
And so then I can easily take a seam ripper, take off the elastic, put new straps on, and now this costume has a new life. I never sew the elastic into linings either. I always make sure there's a casing so I can easily remove it and add more. So there's some types of materials that will wear out faster than others. And knowing what those are and how to construct the costume will make it last way longer than you would ever think you'd be using costumes.
00:16:45
Speaker
Do you ever run into issues like if you made costumes for a piece and now they're adding dancers to it years later or something? Have you ever had that experience where you like can't match the fabric or make the same costume again? All the time. All the time, Caitlin. Sometimes it's really one of the more stressful parts of my job, but there's always a way.
00:17:06
Speaker
For me, when I'm faced with a problem like that, there's no problems. i always tell the artistic staff, there's no problems. There's only solutions. There's many solutions. We just have to figure out which one is going to be the best one for what you want, you know, is the artistic staff. They get to make that final decision. So in some cases, if it's something we've purchased part of and then altered, you know, maybe that costume is no longer available, either if it was a catalog or if we bought street clothes and then change them into dance clothes. So then we're looking at sourcing something similar and then adding the same trim or something like that. Luckily, the amount of stuff out there, fabrics, trims, embellishments, usually you can find something really similar, even if you don't find the exact same thing. And the good thing about
00:17:56
Speaker
performing a stage is that you have a little distance. So usually the audience won't notice tiny details like that if there are some subtle differences. But yeah, that can be really stressful when someone comes. Yeah, I have a set of 18 of these and I want two more. Yeah, I can imagine.
00:18:14
Speaker
If you're a dancer who's feeling lost, overwhelmed, or even just unsure about your next career step, I am here for you. As a former professional ballet dancer turned dance career mentor, I help dancers get clear on what they really want out of their careers and build a real, actionable strategy to get them there.
00:18:32
Speaker
Whether you need help setting goals, planning for auditions, navigating mindset blocks, or just having someone in your corner who gets what you're going through and can hold you accountable,
00:18:44
Speaker
Mentorship can make all the difference. If you're curious about whether working with a dance career mentor is the right fit for you, I offer a complimentary career consultation so we can talk through your unique goals and challenges.
00:18:57
Speaker
Just head to the show notes to schedule your consultation and let's build the dance career you've been dreaming about.
Launching Florimans: Dance Costume Rentals
00:19:03
Speaker
I want to talk about Florimans a little bit more today. So can you share with us what inspired you to found Florimans?
00:19:11
Speaker
At American Repertory Ballet, we have a huge costume stock. One of the things I notice about me, part of my job is when other companies contact me for rentals, that's my job to like respond to them and find what we have and you know, mail it out. But a lot of times it happens during really stressful times, like where we have a show coming up and I'm sewing or I'm doing all these fittings and oh no, but I can't forget to go get the rental for this company who needs it. That happened like several times in a season a number of years ago. And I remember having this thought like, man, we just need a company that just does rentals like and that's their job. So then that kind of sparked, I guess, the idea. And I was like, you know, I have the skills to make tutus and costumes and also acquire other things and kind of make this collection. And so it wasn't really real
00:20:01
Speaker
For me, until last summer, I had time, you know, I only am contracted with the ballet company for a certain number of weeks in the year. So in all the other off season, was kind of like, I need to stay busy. I want to make tutus.
00:20:16
Speaker
But there's no point in me sitting at home and making tutus if no one's going to wear them. And I had some other friends who are also dance teachers and own studios. And they're like, you know, Janessa, people want your costumes. You could rent them out and people would wear them. and you know, then you wouldn't just be sitting around making tutus for no reason. and that really gave me the courage to do it. Everyone needs a little push sometimes. And I wasn't confident, wasn't sure, you know, if I could do it, but i had a little courage and my husband is super, super supportive. i could not have done it without him. And he was like, no, Janessa, you are talented and this can work. And so we, we launched and here we are.
00:20:57
Speaker
Can you explain to us a little bit more of the structure of how the tutu rental process works, like the really practical side of it? Yes. A lot of times, if you do find places that will rent you costumes or companies or something, it's all kind of a, you reach out to them and see what they have and then...
00:21:17
Speaker
They have to get back to you. And then you have to see if they even have your size. And then it's like, well, here's the costume, but none of the accessories are with it. So you got to source your own tights or you got to source your own headpiece or whatever it is. And I really wanted to eliminate all of that and just make it really easy. People today are really savvy. They're on their phones. They're on the internet. They book things all the time really easily online. So I thought this needs to be seamless and this needs to be a really simple process. So you go to the website.
00:21:46
Speaker
You can look at all the listings as they are. You can search for specific variations. If you're looking for something specific, you can look for different colors. And then each item is sized. I measured everything and I have a size chart that I've developed. So it's fairly easy to find something in your size. And then you book it right online. You either can do a one-week rental, a two-week rental, or a four-week rental. You pick your weeks, you make sure it's available, and then you book it and you check out and that's it. And then we ship you the costume. And the price of the costume includes the shipping, the cleaning, the accessories, everything you need. You'll receive a full costume in the mail that you'll use for your performance or whatever it is.
00:22:33
Speaker
And then you just slap your prepaid shipping label back on the box when you send it back and that's it. And you're done. And we're trying to keep it really easy for everyone so that they just have to focus on their performance and they don't have to stress about the costume.
00:22:47
Speaker
I love this. I mean, as a former school director, I put on performances and a lot of the times it is more fairly easy to get costumes for like the younger kids and you can get kind of the baby tutus for them and that kind of thing. But for your lead dancers, you want really nice costumes. And so to have this option where I could just be like, okay, I'm doing Swan Lake. I need a couple of tutus for that would be amazing. Or for competition season two, I think it's so great on your website how you have it listed. So clearly when every single competition is when you need to put in your order by to get your costume, if you want it, if it's available for that weekend, like it's just so seamless and easy to use. And I really appreciate that because everyone's doing so many different things. And to make that just an easy process is huge for teachers, dancers, parents, everyone.
00:23:36
Speaker
Yeah, that's the hope. That's the hope is that we kind of take the guesswork. You need a beautiful costume for your, you know, your sugar plum fairy in the Nutcracker. You just book it when you need it and you know it'll arrive safely and you can send it back without a big hassle and and you're done. Why do you feel it's important as a dancer, as a costume designer, that all dancers have access to beautiful, well-made costumes to wear?
00:24:01
Speaker
Costuming is such an important part of a performance. It's easy to kind of forget about it a little bit because unlike sets and lighting, costumes are clothes that people wear, right? Everyone wears clothes. Everyone is like, well, it's a costume. You put it on and you go dance. But it can be so much more than that.
00:24:23
Speaker
And I think it is and it should be more than that. Because when you put on a costume, you turn into someone else. You become a character you... you feel taller. It just makes you feel a certain way, especially as a young ballerina, like putting on your first tutu is like such a special moment. And so I just think that everyone for all their performances should have access to a professionally made tutu that feels good when they put it on or they feel extra sparkly and it changes your performance. It changes the way you dance. it's like when you go get a new haircut and you're feeling like amazing. i think it's important and I think it is easy, especially for a lot of directors who maybe are not super knowledgeable about costumes. It's easy for them to be like, well, we'll find something or, you know, we'll throw something together or we'll order something quick. But if you do take the time to really think about what the costume should look like and how they should fit your dancers, it makes a big difference. to the performance and it really elevates the professionalism of that performance. Do you remember the first tutu that you ever wore? i actually don't.
00:25:36
Speaker
Isn't that terrible? I was just thinking too, like, do I remember my first tutu? I think it was Lilac Court in Sleeping Beauty, but I'm not 100% sure. I remember one of my most favorite costumes I wore was when I was dancing at Roxy Ballet in New Jersey. And I was the Dewdrop Fairy in the Nutcracker that year.
00:25:55
Speaker
And the wardrobe supervisor had made a brand new tutu. And it fit me so well. And I remember putting it on and feeling like, totally like the Dewdrop Fairy. I was like, oh, this is it. I've got it. I've got it And that piece is really hard. I mean, Walt's of the Flowers is long and I was couldn't breathe by the end. I mean, we're running off stage at the end after the bows and there was some volunteer moms. I was like dying and they were like, let's unhook you so you can breathe. but I probably had it a little too tight. Maybe I was overzealous when I was like, sit it tighter. Now as a more seasoned you know adult, I would probably be like, no, don't make your tutu too tight. You should definitely be able to breathe. But I remember that tutu feeling amazing.
00:26:37
Speaker
Yeah, it does make a difference in your performance. You're so right.
The Impact of Costumes on Performance
00:26:40
Speaker
What do you hope that dancers feel when they put on one of your costumes from Florimans? I hope that they feel amazing when they put it on. I hope that they put it on and it does change them and it does make them feel in character and right on their leg and like everyone is looking at them in the best way.
00:26:59
Speaker
But I also want them... to not feel the costume and to put the costume on and just become the dancer that they know they can be, that they want to be, that they envision themselves to be. Because the best costumes do kind of fall away when you're in the moment and you're actually like dancing your variation or pas de deux or your corps de ballet piece, whatever it is, the best costumes just kind of become part of you. So I hope that dancers...
00:27:29
Speaker
get to put on one of my costumes and also experience that for themselves too because that's a really special feeling. If dancers understood one thing about costume design from your point of view as the designer, what would you want them to know? I want them to know that when you look at a costume up close, all of the beautiful, beautiful details that you're looking at, or maybe some of the flaws that you're looking at all go away under lights and with distance.
00:27:59
Speaker
And so the way a costume looks... up close versus on stage can be very different. Now I have a lot of experience in this so when I design a costume and i construct a costume I make choices specifically so that when we see it from far away or we see it under lights we see it the way I envision it to look. But at the same time no one wants to look at a costume that is stained and falling apart and old. up close. So I always try to make sure there are some really beautiful elements that are small that are going to disappear on stage, but the dancer knows that they're there and the artistic staff knows it's there. But yeah, a lot of small things that you might be worried about as a dancer, if you see a costume and you're like, oh no, but it's missing a crystal in this one spot. Like no one's going to see it. They're going to see the sparkle. Another thing I learned the hard way too, is that all the different colors of Swarovski crystals
00:28:54
Speaker
become just sparkle on stage. You don't see any of the color. And I remember spending hours and hours on these set of dewdrop wings. And I put blue crystals and purple crystals and teal and I like made an ombre effect and it they were so beautiful. And then it went on stage and it was gorgeous.
00:29:13
Speaker
But I was like, oh, I really didn't need to spend all that time picking Which colors have crystal seeds to go there? Interesting. do you have any advice for dancers when they're maybe in a costume fitting?
Advice for Aspiring Dancers
00:29:24
Speaker
How can they communicate most effectively? I know as a dancer, sometimes I felt uncomfortable expressing my needs. So what would you say like to the dancers to how they can express what they need? What's important to speak up about in those moments? Yeah.
00:29:40
Speaker
Yeah. Well, what's really important, first of all, is that you can move in the costume. If you cannot lift your leg or you can't port a bra combre or whatever it is you need to do, there's no point in wearing the costume because you can't do what you're supposed to do. So if the costume really is like, you can't lift your arms or something, it's definitely important to speak up about that.
00:30:04
Speaker
You don't want to be too tight. want it to be too loose. We love a spandex costume. I love spandex is like the best invention in the 21st century because it does allow us to have a variation of body sizes in one costume. But then the dancer who's wearing it can also like breathe freely and feel like they can do everything they need. That's important too. Depending on what the costume is for, you may not love the design of the costume. Like if let's say you're a new dancer just got into this company and they brought in this new costume designer and they're doing a new ballet, you may not feel like awesome in the design.
00:30:39
Speaker
But dancers should also remember that your job is to portray a character. So even if it's not your personal favorite costume, it's still important to the story. And you are a part of the story. You're an important part of the story. Even if you're standing in the back, every piece is really important. That's another thing I sometimes have to talk to my dancers about if they're like, oh, well, i don't love the color.
00:31:00
Speaker
like But the color is important within the whole ballet because the designer is seeing this from like the full perspective of what it's going to be. I also have had dancers in the past not love what they wear, but then they come to me after the performances are over and they're like, I get why you did it. I understand. And so it's all about the whole piece. Trust the process and see the bigger picture. yeah Last question I have for you today. if you were to give aspiring professional dancers one piece of advice as they are pursuing their career, what would you tell them?
00:31:33
Speaker
It's really hard, but if you want it, it is worth it. If you want it, go for it. If you want it, you'll work for it. And remember that if you don't want it – or you don't succeed at dancing professionally, there are many, many ways to be a part of the ballet industry in very meaningful ways and very important ways that are not just as a dancer. I know that sometimes there's a lot of guilt placed on dancers who decide they want to quit or i don't love it as much as I thought I did. And that happened to me. And I did feel that guilt, but
00:32:15
Speaker
I could never be happier than I am now in the field that I've chosen. and I didn't even know it was a possibility when I first started dancing. So be kind to yourself. And if you want to dance, you dance and you work hard and just know that it is hard and that's okay. Embrace all the opportunities that come your way because there might be something hidden in there that allow you to be a part of the dance world that's not necessarily dancing. And it's super fulfilling.
00:32:43
Speaker
Love that. If anyone listening wants to learn more about you or about Floramans, where can we find you? You can find us at floramans.com or on Instagram at Floramans.
00:32:54
Speaker
Amazing. So dancers, definitely check out Floramans as you're coming into competition season, spring performances, an amazing, amazing resource that i definitely encourage you to take advantage of. Thank you so much today, Janessa, for all of your wisdom. we loved hearing from you. Thank you for taking the time.
00:33:15
Speaker
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00:33:28
Speaker
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00:33:41
Speaker
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