📚 Emancipation of Expressionism — 6c.5
Costume
What it looks like · What it means · What it makes you think
📚 What you'll learn on this page
- Describe the costume accurately using the precise AQA vocabulary
- Link each costume choice to Kenrick's intent and choreographic approach
- Form your own interpretation — and consider more than one reading
- Evaluate the impact of the costume choices on the audience
6c.5.1 Description
Costume designed by Kenrick Sandy
Clean, clinical and contemporary. The same for all 17 dancers — non-gender-specific. Designed to represent the company, enhance the shape of the dancers and create a unified, uncluttered look.
| Garment | What exactly | Why it matters for the movement |
|---|---|---|
| T-shirt | Pastel blue, short-sleeved, fitted | Short sleeves allow the intricate popping, locking and waving to be seen clearly — you can follow every arm and torso action without fabric getting in the way |
| Jeans | Blue denim jeans in a stretch material | Stretch material allows a full range of movement including flips, high kicks and floor work — the denim look is authentic to hip hop without restricting the body |
| Trainers | Grey trainers with a white sole | Trainers are essential for safety in breakdancing — they provide ankle support and grip for floor work. They also mark this as street dance, not ballet |
| Hair | Tied back where necessary | Facial expressions are a key part of the expressionism in EoE — hair tied back ensures these are clearly visible throughout |
| Jewellery | Dancers' own everyday jewellery — no logos, no caps | The only individual detail in an otherwise identical costume — small, personal, and significant |
Examiner's Eye — four high-value details
(1) The colour is pastel blue — not just 'blue'. (2) The jeans are blue denim — the street-authentic footwear of hip hop culture. (3) Short sleeves are a deliberate choice — not just casual. (4) Personal jewellery is the only individual element — which makes it significant. Name these four in any Section C answer.
The link to Boy Blue
Blue is the company's identity — Boy Blue Entertainment. The pastel blue t-shirt, the blue denim jeans, and the blue wash lighting all share the same colour. The costume doesn't just dress the dancers — it brands them as part of one coherent visual world.
6c.5.2 Appreciation DLIE Panel
Sort these four statements about the costume into the correct DLIE category. Click a statement to select it, then click the slot where it belongs.
💡 D and L are facts and explanations. I and E are opinions and judgements.
The dancers wear pastel blue short-sleeved t-shirts, blue denim jeans and grey trainers with a white sole. Hair is tied back where necessary. Some dancers wear their own everyday jewellery. The costume is non-gender-specific — identical for all 17 performers.
The blue costume connects to the company identity of Boy Blue Entertainment. Because everyone wears the same, they are defined by their dancing rather than their clothing — linking to Kenrick's intent of freedom of expression. Short sleeves allow intricate arm and torso movements to be seen clearly.
This could suggest equality — nobody is more important than anyone else, and it is the movement that matters. The personal jewellery could represent individual identity within the group — small touches of personal expression within the collective uniform.
This is effective because the audience are not distracted by costume differences — their focus is entirely on the movement and formations. The ordinary, relatable clothing makes the extraordinary movement even more impressive — the audience see people who look like them doing something phenomenal.
D Describe✓
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L Link✓
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I Interpret✓
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E Evaluate✓
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6c.5.3 💜 What Does the Costume Make You Think or Feel?
💜 Your Personal Response
These prompts ask for your genuine reaction. There are no wrong answers — but always anchor your response in what you actually see.
Prompt 1 — The uniform look
Seventeen people wearing exactly the same outfit. Does the uniformity feel powerful? Restrictive? Like a crew? Like a statement? When you watch EoE, does the identical costume feel like something is being taken away from the dancers, or something being given to them?
Prompt 2 — Personal jewellery
A small ring, a chain, an earring. In a sea of identical blue, these tiny individual details stand out. Does knowing that the jewellery is the only personal element change how you read it? Does it feel rebellious, or comfortable, or something else?
Prompt 3 — Ordinary clothes, extraordinary movement
The dancers are wearing jeans and trainers. This is clothing you might wear today. Does this make the movement feel more accessible? More surprising? Does it break down the barrier between performer and audience, or does it make the performance feel more like 'real life'?
💡 Copy your response into your ePortfolio — it is not saved automatically.
6c.5.4 💜 Could the Costume Be Interpreted in More Than One Way?
💜 More Than One Way of Seeing
Strong exam answers show you can hold more than one interpretation at once. Tap each reading below — then decide which resonates most with you.
👕 The identical, uniform costume
AEquality and collective power — nobody is more important than anyone else
When 17 people wear identical costumes, visual hierarchy disappears. There is no leading dancer marked by a different colour or style. This could suggest that empowerment in EoE is collective — the group is stronger than any individual. The DLIE link: this connects directly to Kenrick's intent that the dancers are defined by their movement, not their appearance.
BOrdinary people, extraordinary movement — the contrast is the point
Jeans and trainers are clothes anyone might wear. Seeing 17 people in normal everyday clothes perform at a world-class level could suggest that hip hop is an art form accessible to everyone — born on streets, not in studios. The DLIE link: the relatable clothing makes the extraordinary movement even more impressive, which is exactly Kenrick's argument for hip hop as serious art.
CThe crew — belonging and collective identity, deep in hip hop culture
Matching clothing is meaningful in hip hop culture — it signals that you are part of a crew, a group with shared identity and loyalty. The uniform could represent this cultural context: these 17 people are a unit, not individuals who happen to share a stage. The DLIE link: the crew identity connects the work to hip hop's authentic cultural roots.
💍 Personal jewellery
AChaos within order — individual expression asserting itself
The jewellery is a tiny act of individual identity within a uniform. This perfectly mirrors Kenrick's central theme: the tension between order (the group, the matching costume) and chaos (individual expression, personal identity). It's not accidental — it's the theme made visible in a small detail. One ring is chaos; seventeen matching outfits is order.
BThe everyday brought onstage — real people, real lives, real expression
The jewellery isn't stage jewellery — it belongs to the dancer. Wearing your own ring or chain onstage means bringing yourself, your history, your relationships into the performance. This could suggest that EoE is not a theatrical fiction but something real — the dancers aren't playing characters, they are bringing their genuine selves.
🔵 The blue colour
ACompany identity made visible — the costume, lighting and name are one system
The pastel blue t-shirt, the blue denim jeans, the blue lighting wash and the company name 'Boy Blue Entertainment' all share a colour. This is not coincidence — it is a coherent visual identity. The audience may not consciously register it, but the costume is part of a whole design world that belongs to Boy Blue. This connects to Kenrick's intent of presenting hip hop as a serious art form with its own aesthetic.
BCalm, trust and unity — blue carries emotional associations
Blue is culturally associated with calm, trust and loyalty. Against the intensity of krumping and the physicality of the movement, the cool blue palette creates a sense of control — order within chaos. This could support the idea that EoE is not chaotic but purposeful: the expression is free but the presentation is disciplined.
💡 Copy into your ePortfolio — not saved automatically.
📌 Revisit This — Key Points
The garmentsPastel blue short-sleeved t-shirts, blue denim jeans, grey trainers with white sole. Hair tied back.
Individual detailSome dancers wear their own everyday jewellery — no logos, no caps. The only individual element.
Non-gender-specificIdentical for all 17 dancers — equality and collective identity.
Link to companyBlue connects to Boy Blue Entertainment and the blue wash lighting — one unified visual world.
Link to movementShort sleeves let you see intricate arm actions clearly. Trainers are essential for breaking — safety and authenticity.
Link to intentThe ordinary clothing makes extraordinary movement more impressive. Audience see 'normal people' doing something phenomenal.
🧠 Revision Check
10 questions · costume · select one answer per question then submit
1. What exact colour are the t-shirts in EoE?
2. Why are the t-shirts short-sleeved?
3. What is the only individual element in the costume?
4. Why does Kenrick use trainers rather than dance shoes?
5. What does the uniform costume link to in terms of Kenrick's intent?
6. What could the personal jewellery symbolise within the context of EoE?
7. How does the blue costume connect to the wider production design?
8. How does the simplicity of the costume affect the audience?
9. Which statement best describes the costume's overall approach?
10. Why might the ordinary clothing make the extraordinary movement even more impressive?
Take a screenshot of your score and paste it into your ePortfolio so your teacher can see your progress.