Proper Care and Maintenance of Dance Costumes
How to Maintain Costumes for the Duration of the Dance Season
Most of the time, dance students purchase their performance costumes. The costumes are then theirs to keep after the performance. It is important for dancers to take care of these costumes, not only for the given performance, but afterward in case the costume is ever needed again.
When an instructor sends a routine to a competition six months after the performance, he or she expects that the dancers have taken adequate care of the costumes, to be able to perform in them again.
Storage of Dance Costumes
Upon receiving the costume, and in the months or weeks before the first performance, the costume should be stored in a room with enough ventilation and a regulated room temperature and humidity. In other words, it shouldn't be left in the trunk of the car for any length of time. Dancers should try to keep their costumes out of direct sunlight, as it can fade bright colors over time.
After the performance, costumes can be kept in a closet or spare room, so that they are out fo the way. At this time, the same conditions apply; proper ventilation, temperature, humidity, and light should again be taken into consideration.
It is important to check the storage room or closet for signs of water leakage, to avoid mold. Costumes should also be left to air dry after use, and then put into a bag, box or other container. Costumes that are put away wet can develop mold over time.
Organizing Dance CostumesA storage area for costumes should be large enough that the costumes can be neatly organized and easy to see. Rolling racks are easy for moving costumes around a room, but may not be able to hold a lot of weight. Lighter costumes can be held on these racks. Heavier metal racks can be sturdier, but will take up more floor space. Closets that have two rows of racks (one at shoulder-level or above, and one about three feet off the floor) may be the best use of space for costume storage.
Heavier costumes should be placed on sturdy wooden hangers, while plastic hangers will work for lightweight costumes. Wire hangers should not be used, as they will leave marks on most fabrics. Costumes should be hung, rather than folded. If folding is necessary, older costumes should be placed in a cedar chest with layers of white cotton sheets in between them. Costumes should never be placed in plastic boxes or bags, because plastic will discolor fabrics over time.
Cleaning Dance Costumes
It is important to note here that costumes should NOT be cleaned before their first use. Most student dance costumes will only be worn once or twice, and cleaning them may cause some damage that would be noticeable for performance. This section is only referring to cleaning of costumes after they are worn for the first round of performances.
There are three basic ways to clean dance costumes:
- Dry Cleaning - for wool, wool blends, leather, pleather, chiffon, georgette, velvet, rayon, or satin.
- Hand Washing - for lace, cotton, linen, knits, Lycra, spandex, or tulle; or costumes with sequin or gemstone trim.
- Machine Washing - for cotton/polyester blends, 100% polyester, broadcloth, poplin, nylon, acrylic, or other durable fabrics (unless they have sequin or gemstone trim, in which case they should be hand washed).
Costumes with very delicate embroidery or hand painted accents should never be washed. Instead, dancers should use a commercial odor-eliminating spray. These sprays should always be tested on a swatch or small corner of the costume to check for discoloration effects first.
Proper cleaning and storage of dance costumes can ensure that dancers will enjoy them for years to come.
Dancer: Emily Pickett, Appalachian Ballet Company
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