For over a decade, audiences have been entertained and titillated by the evocative and sensual work of Company XIV, founded by director-choreographer Austin McCormick.
Combining classical dance, live music, opera, burlesque, and more, each new piece—ranging from adaptations of The Nutcracker to Snow White—requires costumes that can morph from glam to seedy and back.
Costume designer Zane Pihlstrom breaks down some of the dance company's most memorable costumes in the gallery below.
And be sure to check out the company's XIVariété, an evening of striptease, magic, song, and dance featuring a rotating cast of acclaimed guest artists, before it ends February 24!
This look was inspired by cabaret nightlife.
We combine elements of Carnivale and Burlesque.
We are using a burlesque circus vocabulary to tell a classic story.
Austin loves to incorporate images that are both sensual and grotesque, like sideshow horror with high-end glamor.
We have a love for showing a dark subject in the most beautiful light.
Mark Shelby Perry
When a costume is stripped onstage it's always done in a powerful, intentional way.
This image shows how we are inspired by baroque shapes but twisting them in contemporary ways.
Mark Shelby Perry
Mark Shelby Perry
A main challenge of the design is often how to allow a beautiful garment withstand the intense physicality of the choreography.
Much of the design is inspired by the colorful vaudeville acts of the past but with a heightened sensuality. We love playing with the absurd silhouettes of the French court of Louis XIV.
Inspiration was specifically taken from RuPaul's Drag Race and Marlene Dietrich for this character.
The design and the choreography often compete in a satisfactory way. As an audience, I think it's exciting to see garments that appear so restrictive pushed to their limits.
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