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Classical Ballet Tutus
& Dance Costume
Oberon and Titania
from "The Dream"
Both costumes are in shades of pale green, lilac, soft blue and pink. Titania's (back-laced) bodice is in a green/gold shot silk dupion, with a swag of flowers and leaves from the shoulder to the hip and has sparkling wired wings. The gold spotted tulle topskirt gives hints of the layers of blue and lilac beneath, especially
as the performer moves. For the most recent incarnation of this costume, the tulle was chopped into quite drastically to make the skirt layers more erratic and to show the base colours more. These magical fairy
costumes were designed for the ballet of the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Titania's dress was hired out several times over a period of years to various dancing schools for non-specific fairy characters. It proved to be an extremely useful costume. Finally it had it's chance to be the actual Queen of the Fairies for Watlington School of Dancing's performance of The Dream in 2007.
These magical fairy costumes were designed for the ballet of the Shakespeare play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Titania's dress was hired out several times over a period of years to various dancing schools for non-specific fairy characters. It proved to be an extremely useful costume. Finally it had it's chance to be the actual Queen of the Fairies for Watlington School of Dancing's performance of "The Dream" in 2007. This was also an excuse to remove an Oberon costume from mothballs, (first constructed in 1988!) I do not, as a rule, make mens costume, but this was an exception.

Both costumes are in shades of pale green, lilac, soft blue and pink. Titania's (back-laced) bodice is in a green/gold shot silk dupion, with a swag of flowers and leaves from the shoulder to the hip and has sparkling wired wings. The gold spotted tulle topskirt gives hints of the layers of blue and lilac beneath, especially as the performer moves. For the most recent incarnation of this costume, the tulle was chopped into quite drastically to make the skirt layers more erratic and to show the base colours more.

Oberon's doublet jacket is ombré-dyed in shades of pale green, and as in Titania's gown, the focal point is the central bodice panel.This is formed of layers of shot chiffons, organzas and metallic tissue, pleated and beaded into and edged in leaves and silk flowers. Sheer and iridescent fabrics in green, blue, gold and lilac form the tulip-shaped sleeves. The shoulders are covered in hand-made silk leaves and flowers, ornamented with metal scrolls, ending in shivering crystal "dew-drops". Oberon's original wings were in shot chiffons in shades of blue, green and gold: carefully "burned" to give an intricate lacy effect. In the most recent use of this ballet costume, the wings became a hip drape and new blue/green iridescent draped wings were made.

I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania some time of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"

I do wander every where,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green:
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In their freckles live their savours,
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslips's ear.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Titania's fairies and Puck, Oberon's mischievous jester, were designed especially for the production.

Peaseblossom

Moth

Mustardseed

Cobweb

Puck

a midsummer nights dream titania ballet costume oberon frederick ashton fairy costume Queen fairies King Fairies wings sparkling tulle silk green lilac blue gold faery costume faerie ballet dress mendlesson music pease blossom fairy cobweb fairy moth fairy mustard-seed fairy faerie wings queen of the fairies shakespeare tutu faery

"...And pluck the wings from painted butterflies,
To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes..."

Copyright © 1988 - 2007 Theresa Blake. All Rights Reserved.