Dance Costume thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Dance Costume

mid 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Floral-patterned chiffon dress worn by a dancer in a Natural Movement production.

Natural Movement was established by Madge Atkinson (1885-1970), initially in Manchester in the early years of the 20th century. Madge was a barefoot dancer who drew inspiration from movement in nature (water, the breeze, etc) and from the natural movements of the human body. Along with her contemporaries Ruby Ginner and Margaret Morris, she pioneered modern dance in Britain.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Printed chiffon
Brief description
Hand-made asymmetrical floral chiffon dress, worn by a dancer in a Natural Movement production
Physical description
Home-made floral chiffon dress of green, blue, yellow and red. One side is shorter and one shoulder has an addition 14 cms of loose flowing fabric. The dress has an underlayer of green-turquoise chiffon. While the edges are finely stitched, the angled hem is left rough.
Dimensions
  • Width: 57cm (approx.)
  • Centre back length: 95cm
  • Length of extra fabric on one shoulder length: 14cm (approx.)
Credit line
Given by Francine Watson Coleman on behalf of the Natural Movement organisation
Object history
Acquired as a part of the Natural Movement Collection.
Summary
Floral-patterned chiffon dress worn by a dancer in a Natural Movement production.

Natural Movement was established by Madge Atkinson (1885-1970), initially in Manchester in the early years of the 20th century. Madge was a barefoot dancer who drew inspiration from movement in nature (water, the breeze, etc) and from the natural movements of the human body. Along with her contemporaries Ruby Ginner and Margaret Morris, she pioneered modern dance in Britain.
Collection
Accession number
S.910-2019

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Record createdDecember 24, 2019
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