Lehigh Valley designer’s dancewear featured in Neve Campbell’s new ballet movie “The Company,” directed by Robert Altman. For more information about the movie, click here.

ByMarisa Dancewear is featured in the highly anticipated Robert Altman film, The Company by Sony Classics, starring actress Neve Campell. The film opens in New York and Los Angeles on December 25, 2003.

ByMarisa, a small, independent dancewear company, is designed and manufactured by former New York City Ballet and Broadway dancer Marisa Cerveris.

According to The Company costume designer Susan Kaufman, “Neve [Campbell] chose Marisa’s unitards for her first two scenes.” Kaufman said she found ByMarisa in a magazine, while searching for designers to work with. “I could actually see the quality and uniqueness of the design in the magazine photo,” she said.

Upon seeing the film, Cerveris recognized her creations in several key scenes, and “our signature unitard is featured on Neve in the rehearsal scenes with choreographer Lar Lubovitch,” she said. “And she looks great in it.”

The scenes depicted well the grueling, gritty life in a dancer’s world. Cerveris, who spent 20 years dancing professionally, designs her clothing to stand up to hours and hours of dancers’ hard work and sweat. At the same time, each of her pieces showcases her dancer-customers’ beautiful bodies to the utmost.

“When I was dancing professionally, it was hard to find the right combination of beauty and great construction. That’s why I started making my own clothing.” says Cerveris, who brought ByMarisa to the Lehigh Valley, after relocating from New York City.

Her passion for beauty and couture quality sewing has paid off. In just its first few years, ByMarisa Dancewear has been featured in Pointe Magazine®, Dance Spirit®, and Dance Retailer News®. In 2002, Cerveris launched a new line of Pilates wear, which also appears in the movie.

“It’s great to be associated with such an exciting movie,” Cerveris comments. I’m sure dancers will love it. It finally tells our story.”