Creative costumes are like moving sculptures, seamlessly blending with sets and lighting to help dancers and choreographers bring another world to life onstage. But they can bring challenges, too. Physical therapist Giovanna Salerno, PT, DPT, OCS, says that she’s worked with several patients whose ailments can be traced to costumes. “You’re having to perform and dance, but then you have a big head on,” says Salerno, who works at NYU Langone’s Harkness Center for Dance Injuries. “It’s going to change your mechanics.”
American Ballet Theatre principal Roman Zhurbin says his neck and shoulders became sore when playing the cook and doctor in Alexei Ratmansky’s Whipped Cream (both of which include a large “head”). Megan McCarthy, a company member at Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, describes how the restricted vision and slippery fabric of the costume for Alwin Nikolais’ Gallery—a full unitard including a face mask and gloves—coupled with the piece’s intense lighting and complex set, led her to nearly have a panic attack while rehearsing a particularly tricky section. Whether your costume involves a head, unusual shoes, or any other unique garment, it’s important to be aware of how costuming can affect your body and mind.
Practical Preparation
Preparation is crucial for injury prevention. If you know you’re going to be wearing a challenging costume for an upcoming role, try to spend time in it to help yourself adjust. “The only time you’ll know what you’re going to feel is when you’re wearing the costume,” says Zhurbin.
When rehearsal schedules don’t allow for additional in-costume practice, you can look elsewhere to prepare. Schedule a time to meet with a physical therapist or athletic trainer, especially if you think your costume could irritate a past injury or exacerbate something more current. Familiarize yourself with the resources available through your company, school, or organization and make an appointment with an on-staff professional, if available. Salerno recommends NYU Langone’s Injury Prevention Assessment, a virtual and in-person screening resource that is offered free to any interested dancer once per year.
McCarthy adds that focusing on technique basics, like grounding into the floor, can be helpful. She emphasizes exercises for ankle stability and lower-body strength, which help ensure she’s always working from a solid foundation—regardless of the costume she’s wearing.
Artists of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Alwin Nikolais’ Gallery. Photo by Stuart Ruckman, Courtesy Ririe-Woodbury.
Embrace Adjustments
If you notice costume discomfort or pain during a fitting, rehearsal, or performance, it’s important to speak up. “Talk to the costume department and your director to see if there’s modifications that can be made without getting far away from the vision for the work—while still making sure that, ergonomically, you can do your work with a decreased risk of injury,” Salerno says. For example, one of her clients, a dancer in the Broadway cast of Wicked, was able to have additional padding added to her costume’s large head to help stabilize it, taking the strain off of her neck and shoulders. Another client, also a dancer in Wicked, experienced a hip injury and sacroiliac joint pain caused by a large, heavy skirt. The wardrobe department fashioned a corset in her costume, which attached to the skirt and relieved pressure from her hips.
You can also use artistic choices, when possible, to ease the challenges of a unique costume. Because the doctor’s head in Whipped Cream limited his ability to turn his head, Zhurbin says he used his hand to help with those motions, disguising the movement as a choreographic gesture. “I would include help with the hands in my choreography,” he explains. “I would put my hand under my chin like I was thinking, and I would actually use my hand to turn the head a little bit more so it looked like I was looking left or right.”
Sometimes, more substantial accommodations might be required. For McCarthy, performing her original role in Gallery was too frightening after her experience, so the company adjusted casting to allow her to dance a different part in the costume. “Luckily, Ririe-Woodbury is so supportive and kind—I wasn’t made to feel stupid about it,” she says. “I felt supported.”
In addition to the casting change, McCarthy was able to keep herself calm in her Gallery costume through intentional reminders of her preparedness for her work as a professional. “I just remind myself that I am well-trained. I’ve been working on proprioception for a very long time,” she says. “This is not my first rodeo.”
Megan McCarthy and Peter Farrow in Alwin Nikolais’ Liturgies. Photo by Stuart Ruckman, Courtesy Ririe-Woodbury.
Source link
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings