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COSTUME CHOICE AND COMPETITION

I’m going to suggest something slightly controversial: The top three priorities when competing are:

  1. Physical Preparation and Practice
  2. Mental Training and Readiness
  3. Costume Choice

Yes, costuming is more important than choreography, partner choice, etc. When your first walk onto the dance floor, the judges are forming that all-important first impression. Judges are human, and although trained to stay objective and unbiased, they cannot help but be drawn toward the dancer that projects a finished, professional image. The way you move; your smile, posture, and stance; the color and style of your dress—all subliminally influence the way you are marked. When you feel good about the way you look, your confidence will show!

Twelve Goals of Costuming

Your costume . . .

  1. should be so beautiful that you feel like a star and love dancing in it.
  2. should fit you so well that it doesn’t enter your thoughts while you dance.
  3. should enhance your figure type so that negative thoughts about your body don’t interfere with your dancing.
  4. be trendy enough so that you don’t feel dowdy or old-fashioned on the floor with the other competitors.
  5. be specifically designed for dancing so that worries about straps falling down or seams ripping should not impede your performance.
  6. should receive compliments that boost your confidence.
  7. should be a color that looks good on you AND shows up well under the lights AND stands out against your partner’s clothes.
  8. should be appropriate for your level of dancing, so that when you are on the floor, you’re not the only dancer without rhinestones or in a cocktail dress.
  9. should not affect your partner’s concentration. For example, your partner should not be concerned about stepping on your hem or catching a sleeve in straps on your back.
  10. should be unique—you should not be psyched out by another competitor with a similar dress.
  11. should be made of a fabric that allows you free range of motion and hangs right. Otherwise, you will be distracted if you can’t raise your arm or if the fabric clings in the wrong spots from static electricity.
  12. should be a comforting, familiar part of competing that gives you that little extra ease of mind.