The intoxication of “Dance Nation” was the ambiguity between child and performer — the poetic text required the costumes to support the hopefulness of youth while honoring the maturity of the performers. We wanted the clothes to melt away and honor the humans wearing them…
feature by Eric Grode NYTimes that quotes me:
The progression from one phase to the next is more a ping-ponging than a straight line, as Ásta Bennie Hostetter's costumes vibrantly trace for Kyeoung. She begins life with an affinity for bright colors and quirky patterns, but when she gets branded a "slut" by all of her childhood friends, she takes on the traditional aesthetic that the word implies...
Hayley Levitt Theatermania.com
Let yourself wallow in all its '80s goodness. … for you, it might be the tracksuit on Coach Sandra (Stephanie Wright Thompson) or the way English teacher Julie Wyckoff-Barnes (Stacey Yen) styles her bangs. (Ásta Bennie Hostetter did the incredible costume design.)
Helen Shaw, Time Out New York
The costumes (Asta Hostetter): acid washed high-waist jeans, pastel track suits, and acrylic-print blouses are equally, satisfyingly super-real.
Jennifer Cayer, Culturebot
The cast members, all first-rate, wear Ásta Bennie Hostetter’s 1980s costumes with discomfiting comfort, as if they had no idea how unflattering they were.
Ben Brantley NY TIMES
The zany mood is furthered by Rachel Klein’s bouncy staging and Ásta Bennie Hostetter’s colorful costumes, which land somewhere between Laurel Canyon hippie bohemia and carnivalesque traveling show, with nods to the Dead’s trademark red roses and skeletons.
Elisabeth Vincentelli NY TIMES
The plot takes place in a clammy village where people dress in Carpathian folk outfits (the great, funky costumes are by Ásta Bennie Hostetter),
Ben Brantley, NY Times
This Elmo is decidedly low-rent; the costume designer Ásta Bennie Hostetter’s creation looks as if it had been found in a Dumpster outside a Party City store.
Elisabeth Vincentelli, NY Times
… about the gender role reversal: It inspired some stunning costumes from Asta Bennie Hostetter. Working from a basic palette of black and gray with white accents, the designer has fashioned a handsome assortment of manly Western outfits, each suited to the characters who wear them. Major Powell wears a blue suit that looks vaguely like a uniform. Old Shady, the battered old soldier, looks like he’s used to sleeping in his clothes. Sumner, who is always ready for action, carries a thick rope on his belt. Fancy vests and striped trousers are worn by more citified types.
Marilyn Stasio, Variety
… As ever, the design is extraordinary: Scenographer Ásta Bennie Hostetter piles pattern on top of pattern, and the costumes (which look like bargain versions of Dries van Noten couture) layer silk robes on plaid dickies on Breton stripes.
Helen Shaw, Time Out New York