Costuming

In order to make up for the fact that she was both lacking a typical "dancer" body and that she had minimal training, Loie Fuller used innovative lighting techniques and long, flowing costumes to capture the attention of audiences. She used yards of China silk to create voluminous dresses that swirled with her turns and walzing steps. For her original production of her Serpentine Dance (see link below), Fuller patented a simple bodice and exceptionally full skirt, and later on the capacious dress shown at right, into which she attached two wands in order to extend the reach of her arms and create the swirls of fabric that were such a signature and integral part of her pieces (the skirt measured 120 yards at the hem). Later on, Fuller discovered that if she treated costumes with phosporescent salts, they would glow while dancers moved on a darkened stage. She used this technique for her Radium Dances in 1904, and in the 1920's Shadow Dances she projected images of dancers onto backdrops. This projection technique was incorporated into German theater soon afterwards.

Serpentine Dance, first performed in Paris in 1892

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIrnFrDXjlk