Yondr Pouch Costume

   

 Back in my days at Music & Art High School, aka LaGuardia School of the Arts, Halloween was serious business. We prided ourselves on costumes so good they could upstage Broadway. Side note: I was kind of intimidated back then. I wasn’t exactly the costume type. My contributions were limited to the occasional rubber zombie mask, an excuse to wear pajamas to school, or a lazy pair of bunny ears.

    Fast forward to now, as an art teacher, I’ve noticed that Halloween costumes in schools seem to be frowned upon. Why? No clue. Probably some vague rule about “distractions” or “safety” or some other excuse.

    Anyway, one day on my walk home from school, I spotted something oddly poetic—a discarded Yondr pouch lying helplessly on the ground. For the uninitiated, Yondr pouches are those locking bags designed to imprison phones during school hours, concerts, or comedy shows. (Basically, they’re phone jail.) And students? Oh, they hate them with the fiery passion of a thousand Wi-Fi outages.

    That’s when inspiration hit me like a pumpkin spice latte to the face. What if I turned this object of teenage torment into the ultimate Halloween costume? A Yondr pouch costume? Iconic. Genius. Necessary.

 I hopped online to do some reconnaissance and saw a few teacher-made versions floating around. But let’s be real—this was me. I wasn’t about to let Pinterest-level mediocrity steal the show. So, I sketched out some designs, called up a retired art teacher friend (because teamwork makes the dream work), and together, using a mix of felt, soundproofing foam, and plastic Chinese food containers, we cobbled together a masterpiece. It was peak ridiculousness, but also chef’s kiss.

    I kept my plans top secret, spilling the beans only to two trusted teacher allies. Then, on the big day, I unveiled my Yondr pouch costume at the after-school Halloween celebration. And let me tell you—it was a moment.

    The next day, I found out my little costume had gone viral. Students gleefully showed me a TikTok video of myself in costume, riding the subway like some bizarre, hyper-specific niche superhero. Walking down the street, kids shouted my name, stopped me for photos, and generally telling me "I won Halloween" and leaving most adults scratching their heads

Instagram Post Link

    Now, the pressure is on. How do I outdo myself next year? Yondr pouch 2.0? Maybe I’ll just show up dressed as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Nothing says “hero” to students like free internet access.

   

Dracula Giving Blood?

Dracula giving blood!? This isn't the vampire; it's the true-life Dracula, aka Vlad the Impaler! At this lifepoint, he's in his early 20's and a VIP's guest. He is not yet into mass impalements or bloodshed.

The donor, Suzanne Muldowney, of Delran, New Jersey, has portrayed Dracula through interpretive dance, in historically authenticated costumes, since 1973.

It was the time of rediscovering Dracula's true story and times by historians Radu Florescu and Raymond McNally. Suzanne read their books and created four solo dances portraying both the real and imaginary Draculas, with more attention to the former. She learned about the period clothes, resulting, in four re-creations. Her first public Dracula performance was in Philadelphia in 1976 - the 500th anniversary of his death.

Following this debut, Suzanne continued to dance Dracula single-handed on stage and television in 19 states plus Montreal, Canada. In 1982 she created the Dracula Fashion Show, for modeling the costumes. Her greatest performance was in Los Angeles, in 1997- the 100th anniversary of the vampire novel. She did "The Dracula Archives" and the Dracula Fashion Show before the aforementioned historians-world authorities!

But ever since, especially with the historians deaths, Suzanne's appearances were rare. She never received a prestigious award, commendation, or citation for her work. She feared fading into oblivion and dying forgotten unlike other celebrated and perpetuated "Draculas." She always danced other themes, but they, too, have faded. Having seen a 1978 news photo of another "vampire" at a blood bank, Suzanne was inspired to make this first Dracula appearance since 2007!


Suzanne Muldowney as Vlad The Impaler
Pictures from the Dracula fashion show
http://muldowneyville.tripod.com/vlad_dfashion.htm

Dance Dracula Dance... 
An article written by Suzanne Muldowney
http://muldowneyville.tripod.com/ddancd.htm


Suzanne Performs Vlad the Impaler and Dracula the Vampire

Spectrum the Ghost King

Spectrum the Ghost King

Photo by Christine Back

If you look over an empty beach on Halloween night, and see a white shape floating around or twirling, so that sparkles of light sometimes appear, you see a ghost! But it's no ordinary ghost; it's a King! He's Spectrum the Ghost King, identifiable not by a crown but by a large, high-necked collar lavished with diamonds that twinkle in the colors of the spectrum!

Interpretive dancer Suzanne Muldowney, of Delran, NJ, created this character in 1968.

She was inspired by classical musics, notably Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens, depicting supernatural beings making merry at Halloween. There were also examples of dance corps in white costumes, resembling clouds or a fog bank, en masse. The name Spectrum derived from the traditional spectre. Ms. Muldowney's first ballet tutu, with several panels of multi-color sequins, was named Spectrum in the catalog. The faceted diamonds, sparkling in the light, gave off different colors of the spectrum.

In the summer of 1968, the Muldowney family stayed in a hotel on the margin of the beach. Each night Suzanne went onto the empty beach, and one night she realized it was a perfect place for myriads of ghosts to dance on Halloween night! She memorized Danse Macabre so that she could hear it in her mind when she went onto the beach to dance secretly.

Suzanne created a scenario in which spectrum flew, on Halloween night, above many adjoining beaches, looking down at party after party.

Appearances by this ghost are most atmospheric at night. Aforementioned musical and dancing examples all are set at night, as are many real-life Halloween parades.

Because the costume is white, it is safest for night. The long-sleeved robe conceals thermal undergarments worn in case of cold. The headdress leaves the face exposed for unlimited visibility. The collar, a belt, the hemline, and the outer sheer cape all bear sparkles.

Since Spectrum was "born" in 1968, this year marks his 50th (Golden) Anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, creator Suzanne Muldowney appears as him in four Halloween parades she is booked for.

Photos by Checkerphil of Spectrum the Ghost King at the Beyond Vaudeville Live @ Carolines Oct 28th 1993

http://muldowneyville.tripod.com/spectrum.htm