CUAMUP301 Task One Hair and Makeup

When preparing my personal appearance for a performance it is incredibly important that I consider the manner of which I conduct my personal and work required health and safety. Workplace health and safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work. In the case of preparing for a dance performance this means that many precautions must be taken when doing makeup and hair. These health and safety requirements are having a towel down to protect surfaces and keep products sanitary, cleaning products after use, allergy testing each product prior to full application, not sharing products that may lead to dangerous cross-contamination, spacial awareness when spraying aerosol products and cleaning work space during and after use. By implementing all of these, a healthy and safe workplace can be maintained.

It is incredibly important that lighting is considered in the application of stage makeup. This due to the potential that light has to impact the tone, colour and expression of a dancer. The three point lighting system is the fundamental system of lighting, being built of the natural perception of light to create shapes and dimension. This lighting system requires a light on the side of an object to create depth, called a fill light. In dance performance lighting there is more fill light and so to compensate for the lack of depth make up is used to define the line and shadows of the face. Further, due to the intensity of the lights on the dancers, makeup must be heavier and darker as to be apparent. Colour is another lighting element that impacts makeup application. If the colour of the light and the colour of the makeup match then you will be washed out.

When using makeup on such a regular basis it is important to know what it contains and how it impacts your skin and hair. Two ingredients generally found in makeup are emulsifiers and preservatives. Emulsifiers are used to keep water and oils from separating in make up products. Preservatives in makeup are used to stop the product from spoiling. These same ingredients can be found in hair products and ultimately they don't impact the skin and hair in any negative way.

Makeup is a pivotal part of developing character in a performance. The look and appearance is the most identifiable part of a character. By simply applying makeup a person can become a different person, different gender or different species. I use a variety of basic makeup application techniques to define my physical features for a performance such as; blending, contouring and highlighting.

Overall, makeup is an essential part of dance and performing.