Men have impersonated animals from earliest times - as fertility rites, to ensure good hunting, to propitiate the gods. When organised theatre emerged in Greece, animal impersonation was an important element in the plays, and, although its presence waned over the centuries, it continued in folklore and stubbornly clung on in entertainments such as the English pantomime or the Chinese Opera.

Frederick Ashton's ballet La Fille mal gardée opens on a French farm, where the Cockerel and his four hens are scratching about in the yard - the stylized conventions of ballet easily accommodates both animal impersonations and the very real emotions portrayed by the human characters.

Ashton's choreography ingeniously suggests a cockerel's movements, but the costume has to suggest the shape and bulk of the bird without getting in the dancer's way. Foam padding ensures the lightness, and the 'wings' are attached loosely around the arms to ensure freedom of movement. The chosen fabrics suggest the sheen and gloss of the bird's feathers.