Tutus make the ballerina

Little girls all over the world share a dream of being a ballerina, gliding across stages in toe shows, fitted bodice and the stiff skirt made of netting. After all, what’s a ballerina without a tutu?

“Everybody wants to grow up to be a soloist so they can wear a tutu,” said Tracy Solomon, executive director of the Southeast Alabama Dance Company (SEADAC).

SEADAC’s annual performance of “The Nutcracker” shows the costuming that embodies the ballet. This year’s “Nutcracker” performance will be Dec. 4-6.

Tutus, however, aren’t simply a stiff round skirt. Cindi Tucker learned that from experience. For 11 years, Tucker has been the costumer for SEADAC. Even with special training, she’s still learning.

“I learn something new every day,” said Tucker, who will have costumes on display at the Wiregrass Museum of Art beginning Dec. 9. “Over the years, I’ve grown as a seamstress and a designer.”

Tutus date back to the 1830s during what is known as ballet’s Romantic period. The era provided the name for one of the basic tutu styles — the Romantic tutu. There’s also the classical tutu and the bell tutu, along with variations of the styles.

The Romantic tutu is a longer, softer, flowing skirt made from layers of soft tulle. The classical tutu came after the Romantic tutu, created to show more of the dancer’s leg work, according to the Web site classacttutu.com, an online dance wear retailer and manufacturer. The classical tutu is a stiff skirt made with special tutu netting and a hoop. The bell tutu is a mix of the Romantic and classical styles. A slightly longer skirt than the classical tutu with no hoop, this tutu creates a “bell” shape.

For Tucker, the process for a classical tutu begins with the dancer. The dancer’s height dictates the diameter of the classical tutu. Short layers of tutu netting are sewn onto the tutu’s panty. Each layer gets wider and wider until 12 layers are attached. Putting such a tutu together has its challenges, Tucker said.

“By the time you’re out here, you’re wrestling a monster,” Tucker said, referring to the tutu’s widest layers.

A piece of fabric, called a basque, is sewn into the waist, and the layers are tacked down to give the skirt its flat look. The hoop is sewn into the underside midway down the tutu to give it body. The bodice is then either sewn to the skirt or kept separate depending on the costume. The bodice itself can be tricky. If the hooks aren’t sewn just right for the dancer’s body, they can come unhooked when the dancer moves.

Tucker doesn’t like sewing hooks so she gets help from her mother, Dorothy McGee of Marianna, Fla.

Costumes and tutus are marked with the name of each dancer who has worn it along with the year they wore it. This custom allows the company to re-use costumes and tutus with the same dancers if need. SEADAC has reached a point where other dance companies rent its costumes.

“Every year, we rent a set or two of ‘Nutcracker’ costumes,” Solomon said.

The small dance company also has a trick for cleaning its tutus, especially those made so intricately they can’t be machine- or hand-washed. The trick, Tucker said, is vodka in a spray bottle. The vodka sterilizes and takes stains out.

Tucker has created any number of tutu styles and variations. For this year’s “Nutcracker,” she made lamb tutus complete with soft swirls of white “fleece,” hand-stitched appliques and small pink stones — a tutu fit for a little girl.

“They challenge me all the time,” Tucker said.

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If you go ...
What: “The Nutcracker” ballet performed by the Southeast Alabama Dance Company
Where: Dothan Civic Center
Performances: Friday, Dec. 4, 10 a.m., performance for school students only, $7 per student; Saturday, Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m., tickets $23; Sunday, Dec. 6, 2:30 p.m., matinee price of $17 for ages 12 and under; others, $23.
Info: Tickets available at Dothan Civic Center box office.

- Also -

What: Bedecked, Bedazzled & Bejeweled, an exhibit of SEADAC costumes
Where: Wiregrass Museum of Art
When: Exhibit begins Dec. 9. Museum hours, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Cost: Free
Other: SEADAC costumer Cindi Tucker will lead a children’s workshop on how to make mini tutus and crowns on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 10:30 a.m. Free.