Help with variation costume: Swan Lake pas de trois

[Cara in NZ]

DD is supposed to enter an Australasian competition in a year and we have been looking at the variation options. I wonder if anyone can help me with what you wear for the Swan Lake pas de trois first solo? I've been looking at YouTube and Google Image and  there's a huge range, including white nightdress things with long gauzy sleeves  as well as standard village girl outfits like what she has for her Giselle Peasant Pas (as shown in my profile pic). But Giselle is from the Romantic era and Swan Lake is Classical (or is it 'Romantic/Classical'?)? Sorry for the rather specific question but I'm really confused about what on earth they are supposed to wear (hoping for this variation as we are trying to avoid having to get yet another tutu!).

Edited April 6, 2016 by Cara in NZ

[Anna C]

If I remember rightly, the Act 1 PDT is danced by courtiers, isn't it? So they wouldn't have been in peasant/village dress, but nor do the ladies wear tutus.

 

In Sir Anthony Dowell's RB production they wore flouncy layered white skirts to around knee length, with a black velvet jacket. Having said that, the RB version was (oddly) set in the late Victorian era so the costumes are very different to the more traditional ones that the Mariinsky wear.

 

Could you "posh up" the costume in the profile picture to make it more courtier and less village girl?

[Cara in NZ]

Oh thank you, Anna! 'Courtiers' would explain the white dresses then (looked a bit Clara-esque to me). I'm just info-gathering before deciding what variation to ask to learn. Not at all sure that entering this is a good plan, but I like to be fully prepared for eventualities!

[MiniBallerina97]

The costumes do vary a lot depending on the company — I saw a company perform swan lake the other day, and they wore dresses quite similar to your DD's costume…maybe you could see if you can find any videos of students performing that variation at Alana Haines in previous years (I presume that is the competition you are referring to)?

[Cara in NZ]

Thanks MiniBallerina, yes it is for AHA. The YouTube link to the variation on their website shows it being danced in the three-quarter length white dress that is slightly nightie-looking, which is what prompted my question. It's quite hard to search, as searches including 'Swan Lake' give you lots of black/white tutus, and 'pas de trois 1st solo' on its own isn't enough!

[Pas de Quatre]

If you put in Act 1 Pas de Trois Swan Lake for the search you can find various versions. In real life it was quite usual for the courtiers to dress up in posh versions of traditional peasant costumes similar to Giselle, Napoli etc so that could work. The "nightie" dresses would be based on the traditional Russian costumes that the Princesses wear in Firebird.

[Dance*is*life]

I always thought that the Pas de Trois was actually danced by peasants dressed up in their best clothes!!!!!  I supposed I got it mixed up with the Peasant pas de deux!    I have that feeling that as far as costume is concerned it's sort of anything goes!  I am sure she could use her Giselle costume perhaps with a bit of dressing up, as someone suggested..  Look on youtube as Pas de Q suggested and you'll see a huge variety of costumes.  It's usuallydone with sleeves (usually long ones) but I don't think it matters particularly.  As long as the costume is appropriate, she should be judged on her dancing, not on the expense of her costume!

[Cara in NZ]

I always thought that the Pas de Trois was actually danced by peasants dressed up in their best clothes!!!!!  I supposed I got it mixed up with the Peasant pas de deux!    I have that feeling that as far as costume is concerned it's sort of anything goes!  I am sure she could use her Giselle costume perhaps with a bit of dressing up, as someone suggested..  Look on youtube as Pas de Q suggested and you'll see a huge variety of costumes.  It's usuallydone with sleeves (usually long ones) but I don't think it matters particularly.  As long as the costume is appropriate, she should be judged on her dancing, not on the expense of her costume!

 

Thank you everyone! Yes, having married a nurse rather than a brain surgeon (dammit), we are always on the lookout for ways to save money. I always hope her dancing is what is important, but our head teacher has been known to veto costumes, so I'm not sure how much leeway I have!

[Jan McNulty]

If it is the pd3 I think it is, in the BRB version (by Sir Peter Wright) it is danced by Benno and 2 courtesans who wear rather elaborate tutu style dresses.