“Freedom of movement” is crucial, for exercise, recreational family fun, and especially for dancing. That’s the reason we appreciate fitted yet non-restrictive clothing; it has to be loose-yet-not-bulky, tight-yet-comfortable, fashionable-but-not-crazy-visual-theater. It’s all about fit, comfort, a dash of style, and tons of that magic “freedom of movement.” Dance wear makes good use of those elements before you step on the floor, so that you will have the confidence to do so.
Much of that comfort comes from stretch, and that stretch comes from a good use of fabrics. At e.K. Clothing, as told under the garment care area of our faq: ” All of our clothing items are made from blends of Polyester and Spandex. Polyester has great durability (garments last longer and withstand washing better over time) and the Spandex is what gives the fabric its stretch.”
Dance wear has to move with you, as well. It has to let you out - it can’t pull you in and hold you back. Of course, much of what works to dance in depends on the actual style and demands of the movement itself, but many regular pants and clothing items are difficult to dance in because do just that; tight jeans are usually difficult to move in because they do restrict movement.
In some cases, dance wear has to keep you warm too, whether it’s because of the weather or a need to warm and loosen up the muscles for work. Using dance wear to layer without restricting movement can be done with, for example, comfortable leg warmers or a wrap top.
Dance wear shouldn’t ride up, pinch your skin, or fit in an unflattering way. On the contrary, quality dance wear can actually fit in a way that not only accentuates your figure, but also compliments your movement. Skirts and pants that are meant to be “dance wear” should have a relaxed yet slightly snug fit through the hip, and unlike many regular clothing items, dance wear pants, skirts, and dresses should stretch and contour, or expand and contract, as you move, extending and contracting your body, working away from and back to your center.
Now we have a new resource to show you exactly what we mean! In this skirts video, we demonstrate how our skirts move with you at each twist, turn, figure-eight, sashay, and shake:
Apparel choices that make you happy and allow you to dance well come down to quality fit, stretch, a flattering, body-skimming draping of fabric over the body, the right shoes, and - this is key - comfort. It’s through color, as well as a coordinated and unique (yet smart, not overdone) use of accessories, that self-expression begins to happen. And, truly getting noticed is about showing off your skills on the dance floor, of course. So, shop e.K. Clothing for quality, affordable dance wear, shape your style, and - hear that music? - keep dancing!
It sounds like a total no-no for the modern woman. Just the very thought of “matching your makeup to your clothes” conjures up images of over-done 1980s looks gone wrong. However, it can be done - with subtlety.
If you keep an eye on your application (so you don’t get, ahem, carried away), rather than unattractively bold, distracting, and silly (read: clown-like), you can look beautiful and unique. Color-coordination is an important tool to use when building great style, and with a “less is more” attitude, you can do it with makeup that still accentuates the natural beauty of your face. But when is matching a DO, and when is it a DON’T?
DO match your eye shadow to earth tones when you are wearing them. Browns, taupes, forest greens, tans, and grays - these eyeshadow colors always work, and are almost universally flattering.
DO match your eye shadows to jewel tones in your clothing (and if you want to play it safer, use muted versions of the colors). Jewel tones include purple, emerald green, and turquoise or bright aqua blue. (So, for example, it would be great to use purple eye shadow while wearing our Pendant Halter Dress or Sequin Halter Dress.) Jewel tones are usually very flattering on most skin tones, and they can add a pop of color to the eyes. Extra tip: create a unique smokey eye with deep purple, forest green, or navy blue as a base on the lower lid, and smudged grey, brown, or black on the outer part of the lid.
DO wear a slightly sheer or light pink lipstick when wearing other pink items of clothing. Again, subtly pull your look together, but avoid perfectly matched, extra bright pinks. A sheer or light pink lip would work while wearing our Sparkle Dot Halter Dress, for example. Extra tip: Since women ingest up to one oz. of lip product every year, and many popular lipsticks contain lead and petrochemicals, opt for more natural versions. “Of all the organic beauty products, natural lipsticks feel the most glamorous compared to their synthetic counterparts,” writes Julie Gabriel, author of The Green Beauty Guide [www.thegreenbeautyguide.com]. Natural lipsticks use oils like jojoba, and deep, rich mineral pigments, for moisturizing, long-lasting color. Try Aveda, Dr. Hauschka, or Burt’s Bees.
DON’T do brightly pigmented eye shadows with thick glitter. Shimmer, on the other hand, is glitter’s useful, more adult cousin, and definitely works. But, just imagine: bright blue with glitter. Kindergarten craft project, anyone? Remind you of any specific decade (probably not this one)? That’s not a good look, ladies.
DON’T use eyeshadows with red or yellow in them. Wearing a red-tinted bronze, reddish brown, or deep red shadow while wearing, for example, a dress in the color of our Sequin Trim Dress, would be a bad idea. This is the quickest way to look sick. Warning: Make this mistake and people might offer you hot tea and/or broth soup, while wondering how you were let out of the hospital.
DON’T wear matchy pink blush. Remember that blush, like any face color, should work well with your skin tone. It is your skin tone that determines which blush(es) can work on you, not the clothes you are wearing. Extra tip: Julie Gabriel writes: “Do not try to shape your face with a blush. This is so outdated! To create a prominent cheekbone, makeup artists use shades of light and dark contouring powder.”
Keep these rules in mind whenever you’re considering matching your makeup to other items of clothing. And, instead of looking like you just joined the circus when you color-coordinate, you’ll look fabulous and unique.
Rehearsals are like intense dance classes. Dancers need to focus and commit movement to memory, constantly thinking of where they are on the floor or with their partner, where they need to be, and how that relates to the music. Whether a dancer is working with a dance team, dance company, or just preparing for a special occasion performance, practice is crucial. Top competitors like World Latin Champions Joanna Leunis and Michael Malitowski practice for six to eight hours a day. Champions know that it might take an hour or two to learn the choreography, but weeks and months to perfect it.
When the rehearsal gets long - four hours or more - being able to hang in there is about being prepared. Here are five tips to make it through a long rehearsal:
1. Drink water. Every process in the body depends on the flow of water. Even a 2% drop in hydration can result in a feeling of tiredness. It can especially affect your ability to balance and spot while turning. So, keep the water nearby and start sipping early.
2. Fuel yourself beforehand, and keep a snack nearby. It’s very important to make sure you eat before dancing. Without any carbohydrates, even moderate activity can result in hypoglycemia, a condition where blood sugar drops too low. This can make you feel tired, dizzy, stressed, anxious, irritable, and shaky. Get in a balanced snack within the hour before rehearsal. A 1/4 c. of oatmeal with plain yogurt and liquid or powdered stevia, or a handful of almonds, will do the trick. (A donut, with simple sugars and processed carbs that will bring your energy up and then quickly crashing down, will not.) Eat beforehand, and stay alert with another quick, light snack during rehearsal (a piece of fruit, like a banana - which replenishes potassium lost via perspiration - or an apple, is a good idea).
3. Warm up properly. At New York City’s Broadway Dance Center, dance classes that last 90 - 120 minutes often include warm-ups that last up to a half hour. Dancers need to walk in and get the body moving and the blood flowing - especially if it’s cold outside. However, don’t just walk in and drop into heavy stretching, because that shocks the body, and you could tear a muscle. Warm up by moving and engaging in progressively deeper stretches. Relax into them, breathe deep (exhaling sends oxygens to the muscles), and hold stretches, preferably for 30 seconds or more. Warm-up before you arrive if necessary, or if you’re in a hurry to begin, start practice with the easier movements. Either way, regardless of your flexibility level, make sure you warm up properly.
4. Wear comfortable shoes. There’s no need to spend all of your rehearsal time in 2.5 - 3 inch heels (although you do need to practice well in the shoes you’ll be performing in). Wear dance sneakers, greek sandals, or some other low, flexible and comfortable shoe. You want to ideally have some arch support if you’ll be dancing for a long time, to avoid excess pressure on the front and middle of the foot. Check out our wonderful selection of dance sneakers and practice shoes.
5. Wear light, comfortable clothing. It’s important that the material has a stretch, and avoid heavy material that might make you too hot. Start rehearsal in layers if you’re cold, or if you want to get the body warmer faster. All of our items at e.K. Clothing are made with a blend of polyester and spandex. This durable yet light and flexible blend of fabric doesn’t restrict movement. And, our designs will fall naturally against your figure - they flatter most body types. Check out our selection of stylish pants, skirts, and dresses at our online store.
Make it through those long rehearsals with proper nutrition and hydration, adequate warm-up time, stylish and functional clothing, and a little extra dose of mental focus. Add those elements together, and the immediate result will be an easier rehearsal. The eventual result will be a gratifying, quality performance that shows off your skills. After all, a well-rehearsed dancer is the one that can really impress the audience and be expressive (rather than distracted or worried) during performance. Practice well, and they’ll be wondering how you made it look so easy.
Dancers on stage at the 2008 Chicago Salsa Congress, Steve Starr Photography
Stage performance demands many things from a dancer. They must know their choreography well, and remember to express the emotion of the dance. They must keep time and stay “in the music.” They must maintain control, balance, and technical skill while striving for artistic moments. And, regardless of theme, there is an emotional vulnerability to performing - those who step on stage are presenting themselves to be judged. And then once it’s over, it’s not really over - they still must remember to hold the final pose, and then salute the audience (usually with a bow) before exiting smoothly.
With all that to think about, who wants the costume to get in the way? Stage performance also demands dance wear that can do many things. Great dancers know that performance wear requires form and functionality. At the 2009 Chicago Salsa Congress, I spoke to some of these great dancers and performers - Katie Marlow, Gaby Bernal, and Griselle Ponce - to ask them about their performance wardrobe.
Billy Fajardo and Katie Marlow, world-renowned performing arts specialists, were top-level performers at the 2009 Chicago Salsa Congress
Billy Fajardo and Katie Marlow, performing arts specialists and top-level congress performers have years of professional experience in theater arts, a dance style that is full of lifts and tricks. “When you go up in the air, things definitely change,” said Katie. It’s important “that the costume is tight-fitting in certain areas, so that if he needs to grab me in certain places it’s just not going to move.” And rhinestones, although glamorous, can be a hazard or inconvenience in this case, so they “need to be really well-placed,” she said.
A heavy skirt can really get in the way, so she said that lighter fabrics are preferable for lifts and tricks. On stretch, “It depends. I mean I deliberately did not make my skirt [for that evening's show] really stretchy, because then your heel could get caught in the stretch fabric… for that kinda thing it’s better not to have stretch fabric.” However, she “absolutely” prefers a stretch for tighter costumes.
The addition of accessories depends on the routine: “When you’re doing the kind of work that we do, obviously nails out to there is not gonna work for that.” Neither would really large earrings, or bulky belts, she mentioned, because they can get in the way and possibly get caught on the costume.
“I do have things that are sort of bra-like, you know bustier or bra-like, but they’re usually attached to other fabric, whether it’s like nude… sheer-nude, or something like that, so you don’t see what’s around it, but it’s definitely connected to something.” She will also use a double-sided tape to make sure that it is secure. On hair-related accessories, she said: “Tonight I am [wearing] a flower. But normally… it really depends, I have to be really careful.” (The moral of the story? When doing tricks, “You always need to have attention focused slightly on safety.”)
Gaby Bernal, of the famed Salsa/Quebradita duo “Victor & Gaby,” had a relaxed attitude about accessories. “For me - no es necesario,” she said. (She doesn’t even prefer to wear earrings.) She added in Spanish that they they aren’t convenient “for a dance that we do like Quebradita, because there are many tricks.” They also prefer revealing costumes, in part because of convenience. The key for Gaby in stage dance wear? “Que se ha comodo, comfortable, para mi, para poder bailar.”
Griselle Ponce and partner (left), Gaby Bernal and her partner Victor (right)
For well-known salsa goddess Griselle Ponce, it’s about self-expression: “When I’m on stage, it’s very important for me to feel very feminine, for me to feel like a woman, like a lady… that’s pretty much the aura I like to project.” With heels lower than three and a half inches, she said “I feel like I’m not dressed, I feel like I’m not accessorized correctly.”
Furthermore, she added: “When I say accessorize I mean my hair, the makeup, the stones in the costume… I don’t like anything that would interfere with my dancing.” Her advice is to “wear it if it looks good. If it’s a group, just try to accommodate everyone in the group. Anything that’s flowy is beautiful, but… if it’s gonna interfere with your routine, change it.”
When you watch her perform, she glamorously and flirtatiously tosses her long, dark hair. “I can’t put a lotta things in my hair, because my hair is super-heavy,” she added. “Anything I put in my hair falls out… even bobby pins they come right off. That’s why normally my hair is loose. Plus I like my hair loose. My hair gives me a lot of power on stage.”
Griselle even gave away one of her tricks of the trade: If the stage is slippery, she preps her shoes with castor oil. “You brush it first, then you put castor oil under the shoe, and then brush it again a little bit, and it becomes like a brand new shoe,” she said. “You don’t wanna dampen it because it’s gonna stop you from turning… It’s just gonna slow you down. You wanna cover the area, but you don’t want it to be wet… Try it it, you’ll see, it looks like a brand new shoe all over again,” she said.
Ultimately, when Griselle steps on stage, she said that “the outfit definitely has to express what you’re feeling, what you’re trying to project. Appearance and projection is one of the main things in choreography and performance - [being] in character. When you go out there, the first thing that they wanna do is understand, and if you have a costume that doesn’t relate to the movement that you’re doing, then it’s not the correct costume.”
In addition to expressing the movement and music well, performance dance wear has to accomplish many things. Perhaps Gaby put it best when she said that, while performing on stage, she likes to feel “feminina (feminine), comodo (comfortable), y libre (free).”
Chicago is a town brimming with dance, and dancers need lots of stuff. You know, dance shoes, shoe brushes, the right tights or pantyhose, leg-warmers, practice-wear, and performance-wear. They buy special foot tape, wrap bandages, shoe inserts, toe spacers, hair clips, and headbands. They even wear jewelry with dance shoe charms - little things to subtly broadcast participation in one of life’s more beautiful activities. With so many dancers in the “windy city” in need of so many special things, Chicago Dance Supply, an e.K. Clothing retailer, must have quite a long list of customers. They catered to locals and visitors alike at this year’s Chicago Salsa Congress.
CDS has been located in the charming Chicago neighborhood of Andersonville for the past six years. “We sell anything you could possibly need for any form of dance,” says manager Kim Bouvier Sturm, who is also in charge of the buying of products. ”Everybody that works there is a dancer,” she added. “Most of us are professionals. I myself danced in Las Vegas for 11 years professionally.” Her previous professional life is no surprise - Sturm is a tall woman with a graceful control of even the simplest movements. With her straight, relaxed posture, and long, lithe, toned figure, she looks every bit the trained dancer.
Nicole, Leni and Kim representing Chicago Dance Supply at the 2009 Chicago Salsa Congress
On either side of the CDS display booth, which sat just outside the main ballroom of the congress at the Westin O’Hare hotel, racks of e.K. Clothing dresses, skirts, pants, and more beckoned to passing salseras. ”We love e.K. Clothing,” said Sturm. “Number one… it’s very easy to fit on most women; great choice of colors, and very reasonably priced.” (Aw - we’re blushing now!)
They have it all - so, whether you buy e.K. Clothing or otherwise, next time you’re in Chi-town and looking for a new look, stop by Chicago Dance Supply for all your dance wear needs.
Coming next week: Top dancers at the 2009 Chicago Salsa Congress on dance wear for stage performance.
