Right now, as I’m writing this (though certainly not as you’re reading this), I am in the car with Simeon and one of the teachers at our studio, Atanas Malamov, driving from Provo, UT, to Las Vegas, NV. In a strange way, driving a few hundred miles south-east is getting us closer to our final destination, Seattle, in the far …
Happy New Year! Being that this blog post will start off our new year, we thought it a perfect time to go back and take a look at the top five ballroom costume trends of 2019 to help get some perspective for 2020. Some of these trends are awesome and we really hope they stick around, but some of them …
A 10 Dance Hairstyle that works perfectly for Latin and Standard! How often are 10 Dancers caught in this situation? The organizers of the competition decided to hold the Latin and the Standard events on the same day! Or, the competition is only a one day event? Or finally, the organizers are actually offering a 10 Dance competition, which means …
For students just starting out, buying your first real pair of womens ballroom shoes can be a daunting thing. There are so many brands, so many different types, so many different heels! In our many years of teaching, we have offered buying advice to hundreds of students on their first serious pair of dance shoes. Now, we want to …
In Part One of our Buyer’s Guide to Womens Ballroom Shoes, we discussed what makes womens ballroom shoes so unique. We also discussed the differences between International Standard shoes and American Smooth shoes, and took a look at the front of the shoe, the toe box. For Part Two, we are going to break down the heel, the colors, …
It’s just as important for male dancers to apply makeup and tanning as it is for female latin dancers! While it might be true that the application of men’s makeup is not as complex as for ladies, and they certainly don’t have to tan as much, they still need to learn. Of course, men don’t get as much day …
We have always taught our students that dancers have thick skin. Ours is an industry based on first and fleeting impressions, where the color of one’s costume in this venue could garner 1st, and in that venue garner 3rd. A judge may decide they don’t like the color of your hair, or the depth of your tan, or simply the …
Last month, Simeon and I travelled to Columbus, Ohio to compete at the 2018 Ohio Star Ball. This competition is the largest competition in the USA. Many Americans remember from the 1990’s and early 2000’s watching something on PBS called “America’s Ballroom Challenge”. Well, interestingly, “America’s Ballroom Challenge” was a completely made-up competitions based on footage gathered at the Ohio …
8 Dancesport Competition Must Have Items You Should Never Leave Home Without This post contains affiliate links to products from which I may receive compensation. Has it ever happened to you? There you are, at the competition, and wishing you had had the foresight to bring that one magic item? The one thing that is not on any “essentials” list, …
Right now we are on the airplane on the way home from the 2018 Professional 10-Dance World Championships here in Minsk… and what a tough trip it has been! Can we just say… it’s really hard to get to Minsk! But we were so excited to be here, as one of the selected couples to represent the United States at …