A Beautiful “Nightmare”
How the creative use of costumes helped one dance studio stage an out-of-the-box holiday show
Running a dance studio in the COVID era has, at times, seemed like a bad dream for Dana Stone. But she was fiercely determined to do whatever it took to make her “Nightmare” come true, for the sake of her students and their families.
Dana’s 2021 holiday show at Stepping Stone Dance Studio in Bristol, PA, was a creative spin on “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” She needed to make a huge statement with the costumes, but expenses had to come completely out of her pocket, and Dana knew that simply finding affordable dance costumes to fit her vision would be challenging.
“The vision was as much Broadway as we could — as big and elaborate and mystical and amazing as we could — and the costumes are a huge contribution to that,” Dana says. “A lot of people go out there and put holiday shows on and are doing it in leotards, tights, leggings and tee shirts, but that’s not what we’re about. We are putting on a show! And we need to be able to do it where we can afford to do it and make it look spectacular.
“I just take all different costumes and try to put my vision with it and try to create something that is going to be eye-catching and spectacular on stage.”
After a lifetime in the performing arts, Dana is an expert at putting imagination into action. Her innovative spirit has enabled her to build – and sustain – one of the most successful dance studios in the Philadelphia area over the past 11 years. Still, she needed some help with her holiday plans.
Conveniently, Dana’s office sits just downstairs from Costume Gallery.
It was a partnership made in heaven – or should we say, Halloween Town?
Dana worked closely with the staff at Costume Gallery to identify in-stock options from both the CG and Art Stone collections that could achieve her desired look. She took advantage of special Flash Sale discounts and welcomed some costume donations. She mixed and matched costume styles and added accessories from Amazon to create her version of the “Nightmare” characters.
She ended up with everything she could have asked for. Not only did her one-of-a-kind costume designs look incredible, but Bristol Riverside Theatre, a local playhouse, donated their space for Stepping Stone to put on a sold-out show.
“I literally cried afterward, and I’m not a crying person,” Dana says. “You can ask anybody, I’m not an emotional person when it comes to that. And I cried when the show was over because I just couldn’t believe it. We were able to get through it, and the feedback on the show was amazing!
“Costume Gallery was a huge part of my Christmas show because I was able to get costumes on the Flash Sale and they donated costumes to me, and it was the perfect timing, the perfect opportunity, the perfect chance to build a relationship with Costume Gallery. It all fell into place.”
Here are some costume highlights from Dana’s show:
- PUPPY DOGS — Using CG’s “My Guy” costume in three colors, with a few other styles sprinkled in, and some doggy headpieces, Dana realized her unique vision of the Zero dog from “Nightmare Before Christmas.” She was inspired by the polka dots on the costumes, which immediately sparked thoughts of adorable dalmatians.
- SCARY CLOWNS — This look was something “completely out of my own creation,” according to Dana, and was loosely based on the creepy clown from Tim Burton’s Halloween Town universe. Dana took a variety of elegant tutus, including “Écarlate Variation,” and long gloves from Costume Gallery, then completely transformed the look with edgy masks from Amazon.
- “THE THREE HUNCHMEN” — Dana’s creative take on the Lock, Shock and Barrel characters from the movie (shown below) was achieved with mismatched costumes, including Art Stone’s “Nouveau,” and Amazon masks.
