Fabric in Motion

Fabric in Motion: Exploring the interplay between dancer and costume

Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design thesis project by Zane Kealey at Boston University, College of Fine Arts, School of Theater.

“My thesis, Fabric in Motion, was focused on developing a personal vocabulary to describe how costumes for contemporary dance move. I used the terms Heavy, Light, Big, Small, Fast, Slow, Disjointed and Smooth, loosely based on Laban’s Effort Factors, and I dissected how these ideas might be expressed through costume choices like silhouette and fabric weight, texture and pattern. I analyzed footage of famous works, experimented in the studio with colleagues from Boston Dance Theater and used my observations to create a series of looks based on each of these qualities.”