Starting the Season Prepared

Practical systems. Real-world ideas. A smoother costume season.

Performance season brings a lot to keep track of—dancers, measurements, fittings, costumes, volunteers, repairs, supplies, deadlines...and usually all at once.

In Starting the Season Prepared, Jan Doran and Claudia Folts share practical systems, behind-the-scenes ideas, and tools developed through years of real-world costume-shop experience.

Explore the series at your own pace—one practical costume-shop tip at a time.

TIP #1 — Auditions & Measurements

Start with good information.

Before casting and costume assignments can begin, you need accurate dancer measurements—and a system for collecting and organizing them.

Jan Doran shares how she prepares for audition and measurement day, from organizing dancers into groups to recording measurements and keeping the information ready for casting and costuming.

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PUT THIS TIP TO WORK

Free resources to help you get started:

1. Dancer Measurement Card 
Keep the measurements you need for each dancer together in one easy-to-reference format. PDF Format   •   Google Doc Format

2. Audition Measurement Day Guide & Checklist
Plan the people, supplies and workflow you need for a smoother measurement day. Google Doc Format

TIP #2 — Build Your Costume Season Notebook

One notebook. Your whole costume season.

Once casting begins, there’s a lot of information to keep straight. Jan’s solution is a working costume-season notebook that stays with her throughout the production.

In Tip #2, Jan takes us inside her system for keeping cast lists, dancer measurements, costume plans and role-by-role details organized and accessible—so the information she needs isn’t scattered when performance season gets busy.

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PUT THIS TIP TO WORK

Free resources to help you build your own planning system:

Production Costume Review
Take stock of what you have and identify the likely problem areas before the season gets moving. Google Sheet

Production Costume Outline
Turn that review into a working plan for what needs to be done—and who might do it. Google Sheet

EXPERT GUIDANCE

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EMPOWERING OTHERS

Claudia Folts, Founder

I’ve been in your shoes - searching for expert guidance and top-notch materials - and I’m here to share what I’ve learned over four decades in the ballet costuming industry. Avoid the trial-and-error by learning from someone who’s already navigated it.

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