by Erica Rucker, LEO Weekly

The Louisville Ballet’s performance of “Swan Lake” has a few more shows. One of the outstanding aspects of the new show is the Ballet’s collaboration with local artists on lighting and costuming. LEO asked costume designer Tiffany Woodard a few questions about the designs and how she worked with the ballet to add some modern elements to a classic favorite.

LEO Weekly: What was the vision for the costumes for this performance of ‘Swan Lake’? 

Tiffany Woodard: When Robert [Curran, Louisville Ballet artistic and executive director] and I first began discussions about the costumes for this season’s performance, we knew we wanted to elevate the design of the swan costumes significantly from the show in 2016. The thing that is so incredible about Louisville Ballet’s rendition of “Swan Lake” is that it intentionally plays up this juxtaposition between the traditional and the modern. You have this classic choreography and music married with a futuristic laser light show — and we wanted the swan costumes to mirror that.

How did you create costumes to reflect that? 

The new swan costumes incorporate this juxtaposition as well. They were designed using elements of origami, a traditional, centuries-old art form rooted in craft. But the clean, angular, geometric shapes and lines add a wholly futuristic element — capturing the theme in a tangible representation and pulling it onto the stage via the swans themselves.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH SWAN LAKE COSTUME TIFFANY WOODARD DESIGNER HERE