An actor using ribbon sticks or long flags can create a great deal of color and movement onstage. He himself might be clad only in a long dancer's leotard of black, white or gray, or in long, tattered gray robes. Alternatively, ribbons, veils or streamers might be sewed onto the leotards, so they trail behind the actor as he whirls and leaps.
Incorporate a banner into the costume itself. The Chinese sleeve dance, in which the long sleeve of the costume is furled out far beyond the dancer's arm, may be used to simulate the thrashing energy of a tornado. The sleeves of the flowing costume exaggerate every gesture the actor makes, and trail far behind her as she moves across the stage.
An actor might perform a hoop dance with several large hoops to simulate the rotation of a tornado. These hoops might be loose dance props, sewn into the fabric of a costume, or both. Tie sheer white veils over the hoops with tattered, trailing ends to suggest clouds; or make the hoops transparent, with flashing fiber optic lights, to suggest the flick of lightning.
The motion of a tornado might be suggested by an actor descending from above the stage on a swing. As the swing moves back and forth across the stage, the actor may cast down a long banner, veil or even the trailing hair of a long white wig, to depict a funnel cloud moving over the ground. Alternatively, actors may move sheer banners hanging from the stage ceiling to suggest the tornado.