10 Professional Dancers You Didn’t Know Became Fashion Designers
As every dancer knows, it’s all in the details. From the way you hold your head, to the way you point (or don’t point) your toes, each movement and muscle choice is intentional. Your training has been centered on small stylistic elements for years.
So who better to transition into the fashion world, an environment driven by the details, than a professional dancer?
Dance studio owners, teachers and directors know all too well what goes into creating and executing a showstopping recital or performance, which is much like a runway show when the designer puts his or her work on stage for all to enjoy. Whether directing dance shows, or performing in them, dancers know what makes an audience pay attention.
Likewise, both fashion and dance involve an artistic vision and an urge to create and express. So is it really surprising that many dancers also become fashion designers? Once an artist, always an artist.
For these dancers, their artistic nature led them to begin creating clothes and costumes. While they once expressed themselves through pirouettes and leaps, they each express their own creativity now through fabrics, colors, textures and designs. We have highlighted Brian Friedman , Judanna Lynn , Janie Taylor and Reid Bartelme this week. Here are the next two professional dancers tured fashion designers you need to know.
DAY 3
Bradon McDonald
Bradon McDonald, a former principal dancer with Limón Dance Company and Mark Morris Dance Group, is perhaps even better known now for his fashion designs than his time as a performer. One reason for that is his involvement as a contestant on the Emmy-awarding winning Season 12 of Project Runway. Making it to the top four on the show, he later launched his fully-fledged design career. This year, he launched a collection with Capezio.
Elena Comendador
The lovely and regal Elena Comendador previously danced with Dayton Ballet, Hartford Ballet, The Feld Ballet, Alabama/Ballet South and Connecticut Ballet. Currently on faculty in Marymount Manhattan College’s Dance Department and a freelance costume designer, she has designed for Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, Ailey II, Colorado Ballet, Montgomery Ballet, ABT II, Philadanco, The Limón Dance Company, Morphoses and various solo artists. More recently, she has created garments for Jessica Lang Dance. Bringing the two arts together at a higher level, Comendador is a teaching artist in costume design for American Ballet Theatre’s Make a Ballet Program.
Make sure you check out our blog tomorrow when we highlight two more professional dancers turned fashion designers.
Guest Contributor: Chelsea Thomas of Dance Informa
