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Paul Daigle, Costume design
(Compiled September 1995)
Paul Daigle has first-hand understanding of how to design for dance, since he was a dancer himself not so long ago. "It's not that I set out to please dancers specifically, but I do know what works for them and what doesn't," Mr Daigle explains.
Raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Daigle studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design with John Clark before beginning to dance at the age of 18. He trained with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and performed two seasons with the company before leaving to pursue a career in painting, his first love. He apprenticed at the Banff Centre under Susan Benson's direction and was assistant to designer John Pennoyer.
In 1988 he and choreographer Mark Godden established a creative and productive relationship. They have collaborated on more than 10 creations including sets and costumes for Sequoia, Forms of Distinction, Rapsodie Espagnole, Symphony # 1, Angels in the Architecture, Dame aux Fruits, A Darkness Between Us, and Miroirs as well as the pas de deux, Myth, La Princesse et le Soldat and Open Blue.
Mr. Daigle has designed for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Alberta Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and Compania Nacional de Danza to name a few. In addition to Mr. Godden he has worked with choreographers Kevin O'Day and Mark Morris, and recently redesigned the sets for Anthony Tudor's The Leaves Are Fading and a new Nutcracker for Alberta Ballet.
Mr. Daigle spends hours listening to the music and watching the ballet's movements before beginning to work on his designs. His work has been described as "a beautiful palette of clear gem colors."
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