Designing woman: interview with Belinda Rosalia Ortega Correa
By Christine Foster, Nov 24, 2006
 |
 |
Michael Whaley, director of the upcoming hit Off Broadway revue Starting Here, Starting Now, which opens December 12 at El Ring Disco, somehow also finds time to teach English two nights a week. It was in his class that he met an extraordinary young seamstress. Could it be Kismet? He was dreaming of locally made costumes that would knock the audience’s socks off; she had the experience and the talent. |
Christine Foster: Belinda, you’re only 26, and you’re designing a full-length musical show. How does that feel?
Belinda Ortega Correa: For me, it’s a dream. I am doing all my favorite things. Long skirts with feather boas on the hems, bustiers with hand beading, sleeves with sequins and stars. Shining organzas. There is a turquoise with so much light it flows like water.
CF: Sounds gorgeous. Did you come up with the colors and fabrics yourself?
BC: Michael expressed to me all his ideas and we went together to a good store in Querétaro to choose the material. We are creating pieces from the most feminine period for costumes, the 1930s and ’40s. That was when dresses had the magic to make people feel special, especially when times were hard.
CF: Like the outfits created for dancers like Ginger Rogers?
BC: Yes. They had so much sensuality. The clothes showed all the intensity of love and passion, which is always projected so much more by women than by men. When a woman dresses like that, she is a queen.
CF: Have you designed for shows before?
BC: I worked sewing long skirts and dresses for the movie Once Upon a Time in Mexico that was filmed here in 2003. I was just sewing, not designing.
CF: Are you from San Miguel originally?
BC: No, from Mexico City. My mother was divorced, and I have an older brother and younger sister. In 1985, we had the big earthquake there and it was very hard for families, so my mother brought us here, where she grew up.
CF: And when did you start studying to be a seamstress?
BC: For me it was always design. I loved to work with my hands, so I took many art and craft courses. I never liked math! As soon as I could, I started my own business making one-of-a-kind designs. It is almost like making a painting. You put all the fabric and colors and materials on the table. You dream. You touch them. You project yourself and the person you are designing for.
CF: So you do as much hand sewing as using a machine?
BC: All the feeling is in the hands. You measure, you handle the fabric and see how it moves. You shape it to the body. Only when you are very sure do you finish and pass it on the machine.
CF: And do you get enough work here in town?
BC: At first, not so much. I also worked for the Red Cross, and doing elder care to have a regular salary. But I saved, and now I have a workshop with my sister-in-law and my mother. I do weddings, special occasions, for women and for girls, too. And I love to do evening dresses. I love high fashion.
CF: But not for men?
BC: Men go to a store. I think most of them think fashion is a waste of time!
CF: But you get to do something special for Michael Sudhir, the leading man in Starting Here, Starting Now?
BC: A tuxedo in white, which is very different for me. The shape of the body, the shoulders, the chest. Very different!
CF: You sound so busy, and yet you’re also studying computers in the mornings?
BC: For the business. You have to know how to use a computer nowadays! And accounting. Right now I just work with my family, which is the most important thing, but one day maybe I will have other workers.
CF: And you take English classes even though your English is already very good.
BC: I have cable TV. I love to watch movies like You’ve Got Mail 20 times with the subtitles to help. And when I was a child, I went with my mother, Avalina, who does wonderful cooking and catering in homes for dinners and parties, and she had me translate for North American clients. I had a few years of English in school, so it was good for me and good for her. She does all kinds of cooking, but Mexican food is her specialty. She can come to your kitchen and she does the whole evening. I have learned so much from her. About responsibility, ethics, finishing the job so that everyone is satisfied.
CF: And you like Michael’s class?
BC: He is my favorite teacher.
CF: And how is working with him professionally?
BC: It’s wonderful for me because he looks at the personality of the character and of the performer when we do the design. He knows what he wants to project. The costume, if we do it right, is a very big part of that feeling.
CF: You sound very excited about doing the show. Are you a bit nervous as well?
BC: Of course, because when the audience watches the play, they are the judges. And you have no chance to change what you have done. And it is different, too, because when you make a normal dress you can use small buttons or zippers, but here there are three costumes for each actress and they have to be sturdy and there has to be Velcro for quick changes.
CF: Will you be there during the run?
BC: Yes, to help with the changes, and dressing and repairs. If anything doesn’t fit or is damaged then the actor doesn’t feel comfortable. You must have the person feel safe so they can relax and love what they do.
CF: It certainly sounds like you love what you do! We can’t wait to see your work in the show.
Belinda Ortega Correa can be reached at 120-4069 or on her cell at 044-415-149-7669 if you’re interested in a one-of-a-kind outfit for any occasion, or to ask about her mother Avalina’s availability for catering.
Starting Here, Starting Now runs at El Ring Disco Club, 27 Hidalgo, December 12–21 with performances at 7:30pm and a 5:30pm matinee on December 17. Reservations are available (150 pesos) via email at WillowProd@aol.com.
Woolf and Sackville-West fascinate at Playreaders
Playreaders present Vita & Virginia
Wednesday & Thursday, November 29 & 30, 7pm
St. Paul’s Church, Cardo 6
10 pesos
The play Vita and Virginia, written by Eileen Atkins, who also starred in the show in London and New York, is an adaptation of the correspondence between kindred spirits Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, two of the 20th century’s most fascinating literary figures. “An adventure in beauty to draw on joyously as long as heart and memory endure,” said New York Magazine. “Works like a magic charm” was the opinion of the New York Post, and “Lots of intelligence and entertainment” was the verdict of the New Yorker.
Reesha Browning reads the role of Virginia Woolf, and Susan Rushton portrays Vita Sackville-West. Lola Smith directs.
Performances at St. Paul’s start at 7:30pm, or earlier if the house is full. We are now entering the busy winter season, so be sure to get there early to ensure a seat. Doors open at 7pm.