Dance of Costume Design | Rike Zöllner

Costumes, costumes, costumes... they are everywhere, aren't they? From festive occasions to theatrical performances and even on the silver screen in movies. Whilst studying dance, I was always captivated by the costume design at the School of Theatre and Arts Entertainment. They were the ones I interacted with most, as they were responsible for crafting costumes and set designs for various other departments including Music, Drama and Chinese Opera.

Rike Zöllner hails originally from Germany and was trained at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (MA) after obtaining a degree in Literature and Performing Arts in France. Over the years, she has collaborated with choreographers such as Dimitris Papaioannou, Ben Wright, Theo Clinkard and Colette Sadler to name a few. In 2019 she was awarded as an Honorary Associate of the Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama, and is now pursuing her PhD whilst also acting as academic assistant in the art history department of the Offenbach University of Art and Design back in Germany.

Continuing a brand new season and month of Dance Fashion, this episode explores the intricacies of costume design in dance, how it differs from other art forms and how to pursue one as a full-fledged career. Join us as we foreground dance in the background!

Soundtracks:

Birds - Tyler Twombly
Poison Ivy Yard Work - Uncle Milk
Aint Ova - Keyframe Audio
Catwalk - Keyframe Audio

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Rike Zöllner

Costume designer / Scenographer

Rike Zöllner designs costumes and is currently undertaking a PhD. She trained at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (MA) after a BA in Literature and Performing Arts in France. Since, she has gone on to design costumes for Opera, Theatre and Film, but her focus remains within the fleeting conditions of life performance, accentuating the performers movement and responding to its physicality.

She has worked with choreographers such as Dimitris Papaioannou, Ben Wright, Theo Clinkard, Colette Sadler or Tim Etchells. In 2019 she was awarded as an Honorary Associate of the Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama. As academic assistant in the art history department of Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach since 2022, she is researching the dramaturgical potential of interactive costumes.