Dressing Dance–Dancing Dress

In a climate of significant developments in costume in the broader field of performance and scenography I question why dress in contemporary dance is often employed as a purely functional or aesthetic overlay to the movement itself. This chapter extends an analysis of the role, agency and bodily experience of dress in the creative and collaborative process of making contemporary dance, addressing the performative dynamic between the bodies that make wear and engage with dress in the production process.

This chapter draws an analysis of 15 semi structured interviews carried out with choreographers, designers and dancers to understand the lived experience of dress in dance from the perspective of the designer, dancer and choreographer. This analysis is informed by writings on the body, dance, embodiment, cognition and agency (Entwistle, 2000; Fraser and Greco, 2005; McConachie and Hart, 2006; Sheets-Johnstone, 2009; Thomas 2003; Noland 2009) to inform approaches to costume integration in dance.

The research highlights the importance of working with the agency of dress in the creative process to inform more effective collaboration and to develop integrated approaches in design for dance.