Ballet Dictionary: Headpiece (Ballerina)
Photo by Mark Sumaylo • Text by Abigail Oliveiro
What: Headpiece (Ballerina)
A headpiece is an object worn on the head for decoration purposes and completes the costume on a dancer. There are various types of headpieces, depending on the style of the ballet and what it needs. Both male and female dancers wear headpieces. Particularly with Classical Ballet, female dancers almost always wear a headpiece.
Types of headpieces for females include: tiaras, crowns, flowers and diamante strips. It is important to always keep the headpiece secure enough to perform the ballet. Some headpieces are more difficult than others in terms of size and weight. They are fastened on to the head using many (open and closed) bobby pins and French pins. Some headpieces also have a net attached to them for ease of security.
The headpiece that the dancer is wearing here is from the ballet Swan Lake. All swans wear a feathered band around the head, covering the ears. Odette has a crown on her head as well as she is the Swan Queen.
Dancer: Emma Zoe Harris, Company Artist, Ballet Manila
Location: Ballet Manila Studio 3
