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RagTag: A Circus in Stitches. Autoethnographic Costume Design Research for a Touring Circus Troup

Jun 21, 2021
1 min read

Designing costumes for circus artists requires a balance of learned skills, experiential knowledge, open communication, and above all an eye for safety. By working closely with the artists through the rehearsal process, it is possible for the designer/technician to observe the exact movements performed by the artists during the show, which may influence the design of a costume. Additional feedback from performers can further provide information about needed support or protection that can be added to the costumes, especially if the designer/technician is well-versed in materials and techniques.


Photo credit: Pher Gleason / Cirque Us

38 Comments


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The emphasis on observing exact movements during rehearsals makes the costume research especially practical. Performer feedback about support and protection seems as important as the visual design, and a few annotated examples would make that process easier to follow. For the travel side of a touring circus, Draw Borders provides a light geography exercise: sketching country outlines can prompt conversations about destinations while the serious costume decisions remain grounded in rehearsal observations.

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