Couture Costumery: Creating Memorable Circus Looks for the Stage

It’s no secret that as circus artists, we have a lot of fun with what we do. But one of the best stages of building a show is putting the costumes together. The fabric colors and textures can be so inspiring.

Since we customize our performances to each show, we have amassed quite the collection. In this post, we share a few of our aerial and acrobatic costuming looks.

Flight of the Angel

Here, the client asked us to recreate the Italian Flight of the Angel tradition to open the Ball. This is the look we came up with for the floating angel (aerial harness worn underneath not pictured!). 

Night Garden Gown

For the Moisture Festival, we staged an Aerial Marionette Act complete with a flowered cage crinoline skirt on invisible lines. We performed a free floating aerial waltz.

Ziana and Amaru

These characters were the stars of Into the Dreaming, which we took on tour with Royal Caribbean. Photographer Jiamin Zhu captured this shot of Ziana’s Aerial Gem act for Vogue Italia.

Beauty and the Beast

One of our Canadian corporate clients requested that we build a fairy tale-themed presentation for their gala celebration. Here we are backstage, as Belle and the Prince, posing for the camera. Again, aerial harnesses were worn underneath to lift us aloft on the block and tackle. See our full post below for more!

Mirror Bikini

This image, taken at Q Nightclub in Seattle by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli, was shot in 2013. It eventually became our logo. The costumes are simple, but if you look closely, the bikini is covered in dozens of tiny mirrored discs, which were glued on painstakingly.

Ruby Blue Rublueby

This is another enduring bikini covered in red Swarovski crystals, captured here on our Aerial Dragonfly at Broadway Performance Hall by David Rose. Note: Crystals will fall off on stage!

Bonus Cirque Costume Tips:

• Costumes for acrobatics and aerial arts must be aesthetically pleasing and functional at the same time. Think 4-way stretch materials.

• Always carry a travel sewing kit to gigs.

• Avoid potential costume malfunctions by rehearsing in your costume prior to the show.

However you create them, circus costumes are the ultimate project in style meets practicality!

Do you have an event coming up that would benefit from some enchanting costumery? Contact us at dreams@duoreves.com!

Duo Rêves: the Latest

Greetings! A quick update as the seasons change.

We have relocated to a woodland setting, happy to be surrounded by towering Douglas Fir and Big Leaf Maple trees. We are rehearsing our shows in a renovated garage, much cozier than it sounds. As we gear up for a full holiday season starting at the beginning of October, we are getting really excited to present our new work.

Some notable recent performances include our Aerial Maypole act at the Nordic Museum, which gave us a chance to quietly honor our own Viking heritage. You can watch the tech rehearsal video below. We also made an appearance at White Branches in Mt. Vernon, Washington, and gave a show for a couple celebrating their 25th anniversary.

We have created a brand new show featuring daring acrobatic dance, mesmerizing Cyr wheel, and illuminated wing dancing, all showcasing Eric’s original choreography. We are currently making a new show reel which is forthcoming soon, so stay tuned.

In addition to live performances, we now offer full event DJ services. Need some music for your wedding, corporate event, or birthday party? We have you covered.

We have some big projects ahead in the future, if the fortunes should favor us. We hope good luck will smile upon you too.

Wishing you all the best!

If you would like to know more about our shows or DJ services, contact us at dreams@duoreves.com or here on our website! We love mail!!

The Snow Must Go On!

Over an epic wintery weekend coinciding with a milestone birthday for Duo Rêves' very own company Enchantress, we presented a big show for a corporate event at Seattle's posh W Hotel.

The swanky setting leant itself well to a circus vibe. Incidentally, the building is also sandwiched in between two more hotel venues at which we had made very recent appearances.

Pink Roses for a Special BDay

Pink Geometry at W on a Snowy Show Day

That same weekend, snow began descending from the heavens, threatening the ill-prepared city of Seattle with cold and chaos. Word on the street was that mass event cancellations were to go into effect in response to the flurious weather. Indeed, our performance at an event the following day was rescheduled for a later date.

Video Above: Snow dancing about the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, where we had danced together just six days prior. Lil' snow won't hurt ya.

But the party monsters at Adaptive Biotechnologies were undeterred by the unfavorable weather. True troopers, they braved the snow and ice to come out and party like it was...2019.

And so despite snowmaggedon pandemonium in the Pacific Northwest, the day, night, and entire weekend went off without a hitch. We gratefully experienced the world-class hospitality of W Hotel, along with the festive crowd from Adaptive Biotechnologies.

Our performances included ambient sets and a featured show including aerial arts, Cyr wheel, sword dancing and more. Starring Eric the Invincible and Quynbi, the glowing Birthday Girl, Duo Rêves loved spending time together at their favorite place: Onstage!

Backstage Selfie!

Wishing everyone near and far minimal stress and maximum magic in the winter wonderland!

And remember, as they say: The Snow Must Go On!