Tuacahn Ampitheatre's The Little Mermaid

Ruffle Gown with Double Skirt

This dress was constructed for the onstage transformation of Ariel (Emily Grace Tucker)  getting her legs. The overskirt was separate from the bodice, and was undone to reveal the distressed underskirt, and Ariel's mermaid tail. During a second transition, Ariel removes her tail as she is flown using a harness system. This dress has the highest number of individual pieces that I've ever constructed. The detachable overskirt alone has sixty pieces. The entire dress has over 110 pieces. The bodice is a flatlined embroidered mesh over crinkled satin. The ruffles are made of 4 different fabrics, which all needed a pearled edge. This dress was incredible to work on and I loved the challenges of creating a complex piece that needed to not only work onstage, but accommodate a flying harness. This dress was designed by Dustin Cross, and draped by Amanda Valtin.