My earliest memory is of me at three years old. I was dressed in a powder-blue chiffon dress edged in pink flowers, with a wreath of matching flowers in my tightly-curled ginger hair. I can still recall how the skirt twirled and danced with me as I proudly remembered the steps to “Me & My Teddy Bear.” It was my first dance recital and it was love at first plié. I knew, even as a precocious three year old, that dance would be a part of my life forever.
From the time I was three until I graduated high school, I spent a large chunk of every day dancing, but my love for the arts didn’t stop with dance. I loved theatre and music as well. I started off college as an acting major with a dance minor, but something was starting to change within me. My love for theatre and dance didn’t waver, but I was finding myself wanting to look at the big picture, wanting to focus on the story from the other side of the stage. It was during my sophomore year that one of my professors saw something in me that I didn’t know was there. I was a little apprehensive when she asked me to design the costumes for the spring musical, but by the time the curtain rose on opening night, I was hooked. I continued dancing of course, but I ended up graduating from college with a focus on costume design.
At that point, I decided that if I wanted to be a costume designer I needed to go all in. I applied for the top masters programs in the country and was thrilled to be accepted to New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. The next three years at grad school were some of the most grueling, intense times of my life. They were also some of the most exciting and rewarding. After I earned my MFA in costume design I spent the next few years in NYC working as a freelance costumer, designing for film, Broadway, international opera and of course… dance. I was lucky enough to work with a huge variety of talents, from Mikhail Baryshnikov to Spike Lee to Green Day.
I had moved to NYC with nothing but a suitcase and a dream and although my time in New York was a dream come true, sometimes an unexpected door opens where you least expect it. I found out that Revolution Dancewear was looking for a costume designer in my hometown of Chicago so I jumped at the opportunity to learn more. When I found out that they were looking for someone who could incorporate their love of dance with their passion for design, I was thrilled. When I realized that my job was to design costumes for thousands of little girls to wear for that exact moment when they fall in love with dance for the rest of their lives… I realized that this opportunity was the ultimate dream come true.
So here I am, designing costumes for Revolution Dancewear, where you can usually find me with music blasting, pencil in my hand drawing and my feet dancing under the table. Life has taken me down an amazing path from one stage to the next. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but one thing is for sure, you’ll still find me dancing!
__
By Jenilee Houghton
Director, Creative Development
