The Evil Queen Hits the Stage

This spring, I was asked to help with the costumes for the end-of-the-year Snow White production. (You can see the details of working on the cape, the dress and the crown.) Really, this is a HUGE dance recital that is held by the net of the story of Snow White. Tap, ballet, hip-hop, karate/tumbling and gymnastics were all featured in the show. This production was carried off with precision that the military would be proud of. You know what they say in show biz, “never work with animals or kids”. These teachers and coaches had this performance locked-down and kept it kid-centric. It was really beautiful on many levels. For the sake of privacy, I will not show the little bitty ballet dancers or the tiny tappers, but trust me, they were just a huge ball of cute, one act after the next.  What I CAN show you is my friend, Michelle, in her full Evil Queen glory. Enjoy!

Check out those LASHES!!

The discussion with the mirror.

A detail of the angel sleeves.

We found our queen after the show, she was enthusiastic and grateful. Here she is, her full wing span, and the best Karate/tumbler beside her. Snow White is off to the right as well.  The costume designer is photo bombing over her shoulder. That’s me.

This was, in the end, one of the most fantastic projects I have ever worked on.
1. I started it and I finished it!
2. I finished before the deadline!
3. The materials I was working with were really high quality. They did not cheap-out and I think it shows.
4. The client is one of the friendliest, most bubbly, enthusiastic people ever to walk. Working with her was just delightful. She was not fake pleased, she was genuine in her joy. There were things we changed, but it was always a constructive discussion, there was never a time that we both did not LOVE this thing.
5. Oh yeah, this was a JOB. I actually worked on this thing.
6. There were challenges along the way and I learned a lot. They were good challenges though, like how to waterproof satin or how to add wire to the collar.
7. The end result was dramatic, literally. It is something I am so proud of. It was exhilarating to sit in the audience and wait for her to come out.

Take a bow Michelle! Bravo! And thank you.