Magazine-April-06-QXD6 (Page 1 - 2) - EADA

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Fashions come and go and often come back intofashion again some years later. Dance fashion isno exception and there will always be fads andtrends. Should you follow them in an attempt tohave the latest look on the floor? I believe thatthe answer to this question should be “only if youlike them”! Don't feel pressurised into becominga dedicated follower of the latest fashions unlessit is something that you are going to be happyand comfortable wearing. If not stick with a styleor design that you know looks good and suitsyou, as at the present time I think it really is acase of anything goes!!Changes in fashionBy Justine HollyerJustine took up dancing relatively late whilst studyingfor a PhD at the University of Bath. After wearing someill advised creations on the student circuit, shedeveloped a keen interest in dance fashions afterexposure to the open circuit. She has competed at alllevels from beginner to amateur before age setting inand moving on to Senior making the 2008 NationalFinals on 2 months practise with a partner who lived500 miles away!Fashions in Dancesport are constantly evolvingand changing. Like Haute Couture, trends comeand go, some advisable, others less so. Theprimary aim of costumes is to draw focus, flatterand enhance the wearer, and, to a lesser degree,they are weaponry in psychological warfare.Whilst we all know it's the dancing that counts, agood outfit puts both yourselves and the judges ina positive frame of mind. Unlike Haute Couture,however, these outfits have to work hardphysically as well as simply look good. They haveto cope with the increasing athleticism of today'sdancers in terms of flexibility and not disintegratewhen faced with the chemical onslaught of faketan, makeup and perspiration. Current competitiveattire has morphed from genteel evening dressinto the attention grabbing sparkly creations incurrent vogue.Ever since the “Big Top” was introduced to theworld of competitive dancing, the cut of the tailsuit jacket needed to change to stop the shoulderpads pointing skywards, thereby ruining the lineof this new hold. There have been mild flirtationswith colour, grey, brown and blue have allappearing on the competitive floor, but traditionalblack is the dominant colour - although I didonce see a tartan tailsuit, which did cause a bitof a stir at a competition. However, it sotranspired that the wearer was doing so for a betand received a set of regular tails as payment forhis nerve! Style wise there have been a fewexperiments to try and update the image: thedouble breasted jacket did not catch on, nor didthe collar-less jacket. You occasionally see a shortjacket, often known as a Dokman after Tony whopopularised them. They are less common incompetition but very common in TangoDemonstrations. A good set of tails can workmiracles, and dodgy posture can be virtuallyeradicated with a good cut and judicious padding(although this did not work for John Sargeant).Latin is a relative new comer to the competitivescene, the first World championship being held in1959. The greater movement in the upper bodyand use of arms meant that tailsuits were toorestrictive to wear. Somewhere along the line theymorphed into hip hugging flared catsuits wornover a frilly shirt and huge bow tie. This has been.quite rightly, consigned to the sartorial room 101of dance fashion although a brave attempt toresurrect this was single handedly attempted byAnton on SCD.Another Latin trend to sink without trace is a fullskirt as worn by Paul Killick in Paso Doble,however, with his bravado, six pack and worldclass dancing this somehow worked (unlike DavidBeckham's sarong). There is little variationamongst today's Latin competitors other thancolour; trousers cut tight on the hip with volumeat the ankle are the current uniform, and shirtsare almost always close fitting and either matchtheir partner's dresses or are black.Competitive ballroom dresses initially mimickingthe long elegant styles in evening wear. Asfashions changed, the hems have got shorter andthe skirt fuller until at one point in the 1970s theywere made of so many layers they resembled ahemi-spherical pompom. One dress could provideenough netting to make tutus for the whole of theBolshoi! These ultra sized pom-pom dresses weremade with a split down the front so that the ladyGaye Biffen at the InternationalChampionships 1963would part theskirts as shestepped intohold, otherwiseher partner stoodno chance ofgetting near.Footwork inthose days hadto be perfect,there was nohiding! The hugepuffballseventuallydeflated and lengthened, acquired floats andfeathers and became more recognisable of thepredecessor to today's competition dress. Thevoice-over of the original non celebrity ComeDancing would explain how the ladies' dresscontained 53miles of fabric and everyone of the20,000 sequins were hand sewn by her mother.In those days there was no DSI or Chrisanne,-these companies only came into being in 1982and 1986 respectively. Dresses were often madeby mothers or local dressmakers. Dancingcouture companies are relatively recent but nowa million dollar industry. At the British Open inMay, there were over 1800 couples who takepart, at a conservative estimate of around athousand pounds a dress, - that's a big business!Such suppliers are constantly looking for newfabrics. Stretch fabrics and lycra wereincreasingly used and sequins were replaced byrhinestones, expensive in comparison but withuber high voltage sparkle. Feathers becamede-rigour too. They were virtually compulsory inthe 90s, but now they are very much an optionaldecoration. Feathers now come in several formsfrom soft wispy feather fringes to feelers tocockerel feathers: full boas are seldom seen andthere are less naked ostriches running aroundthese days.3031
Lorraine Barrichi was one of the first to departfrom this new uniform of a tight bodice and boatrimmed full skirts. She adopted a new slim linesilhouette, ditching the boas and wiredunderskirts. This new style stayed in vogue for along time using printed and shaded fabrics andincreasing numbers of rhinestones. However, thisstyle needs movement to create volume, sofashions have changed again. Skirts have been“pouffified” to the max again, the ultimate beingthe multi-layered crinoline edged modern versionof the puff ball. This trend started on thecontinent. As England sadly no longer dominatesthe competitive scene it is natural for othercountries to lead in innovative fashions as theirdancers become prominent and showcase newstyles, which are adopted quickly.The initial latin dresses were very demure incomparison to today, starting off as short versionsof the full ballgowns, and were even worn withcourt shoes before latin shoes were developed.They have undergone the biggest revolution, andare unrecognisable from the first dresses. In the80s asymmetric sheaths with skirts slashed highon the hips were the uniform, (howeverunflattering). The idea was to elongate the leg butthe result just emphasised the thigh. Bothdresses and dancers have shrunk considerablysince then. The legendary Gaynor Fairweatherbeing a forerunner in both fashion and form, shewas ultra slim and managed to make her latindresses look classy, not an easy task in thedecade with no taste.Today's Latin dresses are designed to suit thewearer, and their style of dancing. Dresses arelong, short, full, tight, stoned, plain, fringed,beaded, minimal, demure, sexy, in fact, anythinggoes, and no one style dominates.Whatever the trends have for us in store in future,there are some things which are fashion proof:orange skin, rhinestones and cheesy grins.Top tips fordressmaking:By Inna Vasilyeva-AshtonInna is a member ofthe <strong>EADA</strong> Council anddesigns and makesBallroom & Latindresses in her sparetime. She has twentyfiveyears experienceof dressmaking andhas sold her dressesinternationally.Dress by Inna1. The Dress has to "dance" with you - notagainst you and compliment your features andyour dancing. A good design will show off goodmovement.2. Think about your personal style, don`t justfollow the fashion blindly. What are your bestassets and what do you not want to drawattention to? The style of the dress has toshow off the best part of your body and hidthe worst part.3. The colour of the dress is important. It mustenhance and compliment your natural features(hair, eye and skin colour). However also thinkabout the venue - different colours will standout better in different halls. I think the bestcolour dress for Blackpool is white, whereaspale pastel colours don't look as good in theWinter Gardens.4. Think about how much decoration you want onthe dress - sometimes simple elegance isbetter than too much decoration. In Blackpooldresses with lot of stones look great, but veryfew dance halls have the same lighting and thedress can lose its effect.5. Fabric is a personal choice. I like a combinationof Pearl Chiffon and Crepe, Satin, Georgette forBallroom. Dress should appear light and not beheavy. For Latin I really like fringes and anykind of crepe. It gives a lot of dynamic toany dress.Spot TurnBallroomCompetition quality professional dancewearat affordable pricesAn exciting new name in Ballroom DancewearSpot Turn Ballroom is a unique designer and retailer of adult andjuvenile dresses, men’s and boys dancewear and dance accessories.Whether you dance just for fun or take your dancing more seriously, ourfantastic range of bespoke dresses, gowns, sexy Latin costumes andmen’s and boy’s shirts and made-to-measure trousers are for you.We carry stock of girl’s dresses for immediate delivery, and most of ourrange of juvenile costumes is fully compliant with British Dance Councilregulations.Feel like you're dancing with the stars!Inspired by Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars, our dressesare created individually by our own designer with flair and style. We knowyou want a unique dress just for you - whether a gorgeous gown forballroom or something sexy for a rumba.We can also help with dancing on ice, prom dresses and a practice skirtor dance costume for your dance lessons. You can mix and match featuresor embellishments on any of the styles to create your dream dance dress.Our mission statement is to deliver great quality dancewear for yourdancing pleasure at affordable prices.Sue Charon and Beverley Dunlop would be delighted to hear from youon 01202 553803 if you would like any further information or tomake an appointment.www.spotturnballroom.co.uk32
Page 1 and 2: The voice of English Amateur Dancer
Page 3 and 4: News...EADA NewsSequence Training &
Page 5 and 6: JUNIOR COUPLES INTERVIEWED...Alex P
Page 7 and 8: Do Drink and JiveWith thanks to Lau
Page 9 and 10: British Open...Photo by Andrew Mill
Page 11 and 12: Memories of BlackpoolAll photograph
Page 13 and 14: COMPETING ABROADFor those wishing t
Page 15: Dress DesignsHannah Davis & David B
Page 19 and 20: stage which produces a suit where p

Magazine-April-06-QXD6 (Page 1 - 2) - EADA

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