Building a costume: Bata de colita con luces
Hello, and welcome, patrons of the arts! If you're here, you're probably interested in how I built the lighted dress for my NACHMO 2024 performance at the Foundry, March 29th 2024. Read on for all the best secrets of kit-bashing wearable props. The basic design of this dress is taken from traditional flamenco costuming. Flamenco dancers sometimes wear a long-trained skirt called a bata de cola , lit. "skirt with tail". Here's a clip of how they are traditionally used I'm not sure what flamenco dresses were made of back in the day (heavy silk satin, maybe?) but in modern times, they're almost universally made of a 4-way synthetic stretch knit. There are a lot of advantages to this; the fabric is heavy, doesn't wrinkle, and flows evenly in all directions. Colors are vibrant and you can get it in either a matte or a semi-satin finish that gives a nice sheen on stage. Critically, stretch knits also do not need to be hemmed, which is a godsend when you are
