[NEOPAL]Xan Underhill and SAFMOD featured in Plain Dealer

Heather! Iriye heather.iriye at gmail.com
Tue Apr 18 14:35:03 PDT 2006


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The brilliant and innovative ultraviolet costuming of Xan Underhill (costum=
e
designer for SAFMOD Performance Ensemble) was the top story in The Plain
Dealer's "Style" section yesterday.

Click here <http://www.cleveland.com/slideshows/index.ssf?pd060413.html>to
view The Plain Dealer's slideshow presentation and hear parts of Xan's
interview.
 <http://www.cleveland.com/slideshows/index.ssf?pd060413.html>
      **
Room to glow *Dancers delight in ultraviolet light *
Monday, April 17, 2006 Evelyn Theiss
*Plain Dealer Reporter*

Fiber, fashion and jewelry are just three of the mediums in which Alexandri=
a
Underhill has conveyed her artistry, and she's used materials like jute,
black rubber, toilet paper and a sheep's stomach to do that.

But creating costumes and designing face and body makeup that come to life
under ultraviolet light, well, that's what she calls an otherworldly
experience.

Underhill, 36, is the creator of costumes for one of Cleveland's avant-gard=
e
dance companies, SAFMOD, or Sub-Atomic Frequency Modulation Overdose.

On a recent Monday evening, she and several other SAFMOD dancers helped one
another apply makeup and fashion costumes that exploded with dimension.
Then, ultraviolet light illuminated the darkness, and The Plain Dealer
photographer Gus Chan captured the eerily beautiful images.

Underhill, a native of Elmira, N.Y. - future designer Tommy Hilfiger's
sister was her baby sitter - came to Cleveland to study at the Cleveland
Institute of Art. There, she won stipends and awards for her fiber artistry=
.
"That was really the medium I resonated with," she says.

When she graduated in 1993, a friend pulled her into a project that had her
working to created costumes for the dance group that is now SAFMOD.

"It was perfect for me -- I had all the skills I needed to do the job," she
says.

Underhill enhanced her skills by working with the costume department for
Cirque du Soleil on some of its tours.

She considers the UV costume/makeup design a bit "Cirque-ish." And freeing
to the imagination.

"Dancing that night these photos were taken, we were all in our own world,
some of us perform ing, some stretching, some reflecting, some playing,"
says Underhill.

SAFMOD has used the UV concept on occasion since 1997. "It's just recently
that we've been developing it with a more sophisticated eye and intention,"
says Underhill. "You become a different character when you glow. It brings
out an alien creature.

"UV is so otherworldy, you're not sure if you're in outer space or
underwater," she says. "I scuba dive, and when you dive at night, this is
the natural color of everything underwater. Things glow fluorescently. For
me, this is a reconnection, a reminder, of scuba diving, which makes me fee=
l
like I'm on the moon.

"Which makes me feel like I'm really alive."

Helping other dancers put on their costumes and makeup is part of the fun.
"We are like a family of cubs that decorates and elevates and keeps pushing
each other to the next level." And there's a purpose for all that -- the
group is preparing for this summer's Ingenuity festival.

Practicing at their usual Hodge School studios was a vastly different
experience with UV light, says Underhill.

"Ultraviolet changes everything, especially how you relate to yourself in
the space," she adds. "Actually, you lose space, time and dimension when
you're doing this."


--
.Live.Love.Laugh.Learn.

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<div>The brilliant and innovative ultraviolet costuming of Xan Underhill (c=
ostume designer for SAFMOD Performance Ensemble) was the top story in =
The Plain Dealer's "Style" section yesterday.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href=3D"http://www.cleveland.com/slideshows/index.ssf?pd060413.html=
">Click here</a> to view The Plain Dealer's slideshow presentation and=
 hear parts of Xan's interview.</div>
<div><a href=3D"http://www.cleveland.com/slideshows/index.ssf?pd060413.html=
"></a> </div>
<div>
<center> </center>
<center> </center>
<center><img style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px" height=3D"34" src=3D"http://www.=
cleveland.com/images/news/plaindealer.gif" width=3D"391"></center>
<div class=3D"fstory">
<div class=3D"kicker"><b></b></div>
<h1 class=3D"red">Room to glow </h1>
<div class=3D"subhead"><b>Dancers delight in ultraviolet light </b></div>
<div class=3D"byln">Monday, April 17, 2006=20
<div>Evelyn Theiss</div><b>Plain Dealer Reporter</b> </div>
<p>Fiber, fashion and jewelry are just three of the mediums in which Alexan=
dria Underhill has conveyed her artistry, and she's used materials like jut=
e, black rubber, toilet paper and a sheep's stomach to do that. </p>
<p>But creating costumes and designing face and body makeup that come to li=
fe under ultraviolet light, well, that's what she calls an otherworldly exp=
erience. </p>
<p>Underhill, 36, is the creator of costumes for one of Cleveland's avant-g=
arde dance companies, SAFMOD, or Sub-Atomic Frequency Modulation Overdose. =
</p>
<p>On a recent Monday evening, she and several other SAFMOD dancers helped =
one another apply makeup and fashion costumes that exploded with dimension.=
 Then, ultraviolet light illuminated the darkness, and The Plain Dealer pho=
tographer Gus Chan captured the eerily beautiful images.=20
</p>
<p>Underhill, a native of Elmira, N.Y. - future designer Tommy Hilfiger's s=
ister was her baby sitter - came to Cleveland to study at the Cleveland Ins=
titute of Art. There, she won stipends and awards for her fiber artistry. &=
quot;That was really the medium I resonated with," she says.=20
</p>
<p>When she graduated in 1993, a friend pulled her into a project that had =
her working to created costumes for the dance group that is now SAFMOD. </p=
>
<p>"It was perfect for me -- I had all the skills I needed to do the j=
ob," she says. </p>
<p>Underhill enhanced her skills by working with the costume department for=
 Cirque du Soleil on some of its tours. </p>
<p>She considers the UV costume/makeup design a bit "Cirque-ish."=
 And freeing to the imagination. </p>
<p>"Dancing that night these photos were taken, we were all in our own=
 world, some of us perform ing, some stretching, some reflecting, some play=
ing," says Underhill. </p>
<p>SAFMOD has used the UV concept on occasion since 1997. "It's just r=
ecently that we've been developing it with a more sophisticated eye and int=
ention," says Underhill. "You become a different character when y=
ou glow. It brings out an alien creature.=20
</p>
<p>"UV is so otherworldy, you're not sure if you're in outer space or =
underwater," she says. "I scuba dive, and when you dive at night,=
 this is the natural color of everything underwater. Things glow fluorescen=
tly. For me, this is a reconnection, a reminder, of scuba diving, which mak=
es me feel like I'm on the moon.=20
</p>
<p>"Which makes me feel like I'm really alive." </p>
<p>Helping other dancers put on their costumes and makeup is part of the fu=
n. "We are like a family of cubs that decorates and elevates and keeps=
 pushing each other to the next level." And there's a purpose for all =
that -- the group is preparing for this summer's Ingenuity festival.=20
</p>
<p>Practicing at their usual Hodge School studios was a vastly different ex=
perience with UV light, says Underhill. </p>
<p>"Ultraviolet changes everything, especially how you relate to yours=
elf in the space," she adds. "Actually, you lose space, time and =
dimension when you're doing this." </p></div> <br clear=3D"all"><=
br>
-- <br>.Live.Love.Laugh.Learn. </div>

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