When a young girl begins ballet classes, her birthday presents usually include jewellery boxes, and necklaces featuring ballerinas wearing pastel pink tutus and giant sparkling tiaras.
Jewellery has always been a part of ballet. Although its creation and design have evolved to complement the evolution of the art itself, flowers and drop earrings can be seen in the paintings that mark the inception of ballet.
Jewellery is not only worn for beauty; it helps create instantly recognisable characters, particularly among the classics. In modern ballet, the designer may employ jewellery to accentuate parts of the body. However excess is not usually a fixture in contemporary ballet. Perhaps modern flavours mimic our post-modern appreciation for modest aesthetics.
In contrast, Versace created his fashion and theatre costuming with the mantra ‘excess is a necessity’. And he was not the only male to be distracted by shiny things. In 1967, Balanchine choreographed Jewels; a ballet made of three parts: Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds. After walking past the Van Cleef & Arpels salon in Manhattan, Balanchine was taken by the beauty of the jewels and immediately spoke with Claude Arpels concerning a jewel inspired ballet. Dancer Wendy Whelan from New York City Ballet remembers, “When you put on a Diamonds sort of costume, you become a different person. I think that a costume like Diamonds, with all those jewels that radiate from your chest, helps you to radiate from your chest as a dancer.”
Of course, real diamonds and rubies are not worn on stage. Costume jewellery is made of a long and varying list of materials; crystal and glass beads, stones, braid, copper covered silver wire, sequins and metal shapes to name a small few. And safety is crucial. Strings of beads are knotted between each bead, necklaces are hooked onto costumes and tiaras have pinning wires and tie tapes to ensure they remain on the dancer. Comfort is also considered in the design process.
Vicki Car, head of millinery, says men too can sport jewellery: “In Semele, the dancer playing Zeus wore lycra cuffs on his wrists that looked as if they were made of metal. Designers like Kristian Fredrikson would happily put boys in headdresses and necklaces, such as the Lilac Cavaliers in The Sleeping Beauty we are about to put on.”
In December, the Australian Ballet’s production of The Sleeping Beauty will feature jewellery worn by almost every character. The cleaning and restoration of these pieces is underway.
Marissa Shirbin was a dancer, is now a romancer and an editorial assistant at Right Angle publishing
