North Shore Dance Society is so excited about this wonderful article!!!

Let’s be clear – stretching is very important. It seems logical to stretch our muscles, since we want a greater range of motion and more flexibility. Stretching regularly can prevent injuries, increase your muscular endurance, and most importantly relax and regenerate. First, we have to understand the difference between static and dynamic stretching:

Static stretching – is remaining in a stretching position for a period of time without moving. e.g. sitting on the floor; legs straight out in front of you; reaching with your hands to your toes, and staying in this position.         

Dynamic stretching – is an elongation of a muscle through movement. e.g. standing position, swinging your leg back and forth and increasing the range of motion with every swing.As ballroom dancers, generally we need to have flexible bodies. When we create beautiful lines with our arms, we stretch our chest muscles to the maximum. We show our incredible long legs by pointing our feet. When we dance, we already make use of dynamic stretching, but sometimes that range of motion is simply not enough. This is why incorporating static stretching into our daily practice schedule is a win! All of these sound great, but lets look at 5 stretching mistakes that will not add to your dancing, and might, in fact, even ruin it!

1. Do static stretching early in the morning
Getting out of bed and getting into the splits immediately, might not be the best idea! The elasticity in our muscles equals to zero in the morning, and it would be quite a shock for our muscles being stretched right away. Go easy, and go with dynamic stretches! Good times for static stretching, however, are around noon and towards the early evening.

2. Stretch with a room temperature under 18°C (65°F)
Try to avoid cold rooms, when you are doing your stretching moves. The cold temperatures will decrease your range of motion and your flexibility exercises will not only be less effective, but also more dangerous, since you are probably used to greater elasticity.

3. Use static stretching as your warm up
Always make sure, you are warmed up before you do static stretching. If you are still cold, the strain on the muscles might soon become too much of a burden and will lead to injuries. If you want to warm up with basic and light dynamic stretching, that would work just fine.

4. Heavy static stretch right before a competition
Since you’re staying in a static stretch for the intention of elongating muscles, it will decreases the reaction time. Which means, it might make you slower aaaaand it might also decrease your sense of balance! And we don’t want that, do we?

5. Force the stretch and get frustrated
Stretching is frustrating! So don’t be too hard on yourself, if you see absolutely no progress in two weeks. It all takes time! Keep at it, stay positive and believe in becoming better. A positive mind can dance and stretch better than a frustrated one!

North Shore Dance Society thank you the Author: Sophia Wedel

North Shore Dance Society

Your food before and during a Ballroom Dance Competition

We need energy, maximal blood flow to the muscles and sharp focus during a competition. Digestion consumes most of the blood flow in our body. Therefore, one needs to keep the blood flow requirement of the digestive track to the minimum without compromising the much needed energy from food.

Night Before
Start your strategy with the evening meal the night before. Have a light dinner before 8 pm, preferably made of easily digestible protein – chicken breast, steamed vegetables and whole wheat pasta or brown rice. The pasta and/or rice will fill up your glycogen storage in your liver, which you will need for your dance competition the next day. Stay away from fatty foods! It lingers in the digestive system and competes for the blood flow, right when you would need that extra kick in your final jive.

Breakfast
A mixture of complex and simple carbohydrates is needed, so that the energy flow will be slow and steady. Whole grain cereal or toast with fruit will provide this. You might want to include one hard boiled egg white. Protein controls the hunger pangs. Gluten sensitive individuals can choose certain grain sources other than wheat. Quinoa, millet, amaranth and teff should do it for you. These are excellent grains since they provide all 9 essential amino acids, as well as steady flow of glucose.

Snacking
Healthy snacking during the competition day is critical to keep your blood sugar steady. Keep a handful of walnuts or almonds, grapes, berries, banana, moderate amount of watermelon, AND DARK CHOCOLATE! It is a none factor that coco promotes focus and great source of instant energy. It is a not so well known factor that ballerinas, before a grandé performance consume only dark chocolate. And we would all agree that ballroom dancers are as good of the performers as ballerinas, consumption of this high in energy product is essential.

Water
Last but not the least, WATER! Make sure you keep on sipping water during the day. Gulping water gives you bloating.
Even mild dehydration, might impair your performance. Do not wait until you are thirsty, since at that point, you are probably already dehydrated. Make sure not drink lots of water when just coming off the floor, even though you feel very thirsty. The heart rate is increased and your body will reject water in you stomach, which can easily lead to a “little” vomit accident. Instead, clear your mouth, spittle out what has been left and BREATHE!!!

Now that you have done your best in prepping, go on to the floor and give your best with your dancing!

By Joy Bedrosyan
Pharmacist & Personal Nutritionist

North Shore Dance Society found this wonderful article telling us 6 Steps To Improving our Dancing for Your Next Competition

Most dancers want to dance as well as they can. We take lessons, practice and care for our bodies as part of doing so. Sometimes we think that preparing for a competition requires the same things, perhaps just more of each. The truth is, preparing for a competition has one additional requirement – A Plan.

PHASE 1 – The Assessment

The best preparation for any competition starts right after the last competition. This is because your self-assessment will be most relevant then.

1. Give yourself a little time to relax and reflect on what you enjoyed in the competition experience before you start to focus on your performance.                                 ~Some people only need a few hours a few for this, most people need just a day, some people need more.
   ~This timing certainly does not mean that you will stop reflecting on your enjoyment, it just means you will also start your planning based on what you learned.
2. The first thing to do is critical, but is very often forgotten. It is to honestly and clearly list everything that you did very well.                                                                           ~The list could be on paper, or verbally with your partner and/or coach.
   ~The reason why it is important is that anything that does not get attention gets weaker over time.
   ~Every competitor has some strengths. Make sure that you acknowledge them and put some conscious effort into maintaining and enhancing them so they do not become weaknesses as you work on other things.
3. Then, list the things that felt uncomfortable to you, or did not look strong in your video.                                                                                                                                                       ~Once you have listed them, check which of these four areas they fall into, choreography, form, technique or style.
   ~Choreography – could be forgotten or awkward choreography. It could also be choreography that you had planned to change after the comp. Just do not get into a trap of blaming difficult choreography for problems that are caused by your form, technique or style, or thinking that flashier choreography will cover up problems in those areas.
   ~Form – is really just the word we are using here to refer to the foundational elements of technique. Balance, coordination, partnering, posture, timing, hold, and foot positions. We separate this group because without each of these elements, the next level of technique will still not be enough to make you look your best, and may not even be possible.
   ~Technique – is what we referring to as the specific elements of foot and leg action, shape, weight shift, body orientation, body action, power, and even floorcraft.
4. ~Style – includes musicality, arm-styling, presentation, audience engagement plus your own intangibles.

PHASE 2 – The Plan

4. Develop your plan.
~Issues related to form, really should be at the top of the list.
~The only thing you might want to do at the same time as focusing on form is making any adjustment in choreography, and only if it is absolutely necessary make a change. The reason to attend to choreography early is to allow you to practice your form within the choreography you will actually use – Please note that unless the choreography is awkward or inappropriate for the level of dancer, it is it is generally better to maintain your choreography while you deal with issues of form.
~Technique would be next and will reinforce good form.
~Style is very important for every level of dancer, but will rarely be the only thing in your plan, unless you are an advanced and very proficient dancer.
5. Schedule your plan
~The first part of your plan should be laser focused on addressing the top 1-2 things on your list. If you master these, and have time, then address others.
~The next part of your plan should be spent making sure that your new skills are integrated seamlessly into your routine. Start and stop as you need to, video tape yourself. Make sure all the bugs are out and transitions are smooth.
~If you have the time and inclination, you may also go back and forth between these first two phases as you master one skill, and before you start working on another.

PHASE 3 – Rounds

6. The final phase of your preparation is specific competition preparation with repetition, stamina building, and confidence building by practicing competition rounds
~Rounds are important for everyone – For your first competition, you can also start the assessment and plan noted here with a session of practice competition rounds at the point when you know your routines, feel good about your dancing.
~The more similar the rounds are to a real competition the better, so if it is set up in a studio with other couples on the floor at the same time, great!
~Even if is just with you and your partner, still do not skip the steps. Set up real competition music to play in the correct sequence, for at least 90 seconds a song — You could also have songs playing longer to allow 3-4 repeats of your routines. This really builds stamina and confidence, and makes the 90 second song of a comp feel like a breeze.
~Do your entrance and exits as you would in a competition, and if you make a mistake, continue as you would in an actual competition.
~In the day or two right before a competition, focus on your strengths and your confidence. After the competition, begin again to focus on your assessment and plan, to get ready for the next one.

Another fantastic article from Author: Miss P

North Shore Dance Society

North Shore Dance Society found this wonderful article:

Do you hate looking at yourself on film or in the mirror? Are you always focusing on what you need to improve, without taking pride in your accomplishments? If you answered yes to either of the above, you may want to make some changes to how you perceive yourself.An often overlooked part of learning to dance is the importance of staying conscious, not only of what you need to improve, but also of the progress you’ve made. Without this balance, many dancers develop or reinforce negative beliefs about themselves, which may have no basis in reality.

It’s important to remember that what we see is often coloured by the opinions we already hold about ourselves. A person who believes they are fat for example, is likely to still hold that belief even after loosing 50 pounds. In order to develop a more healthy relationship with yourself, you first need to change these limiting beliefs.

First: Is the mirror distorted?
Sometimes, it really is the mirror’s fault! A warped mirror can make people appear bigger or smaller, create the impression that they are not balanced well, or make correct technique look strange. Before reading on, try remembering if there is certain mirrors you tend to like dancing in front of more than others, and why.

Is your perception of yourself distorted?
This is by far the more likely situation. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve yourself of course, and you can’t do that without being aware of what you want to correct. But this can work against you when the self-criticism becomes demoralizing, when it starts to hurt your self-esteem and self-perception.

You might have a distorted perception of yourself if:

You receive compliments about your dancing with skepticism.
You find yourself focusing on the flaws in your appearance and technique, and ignoring what looks good.
You complain frequently about how bad a dancer you are.
You often leave a practice feeling sad, depressed, or angry at yourself.
If a performance or competition goes well, you assume you just ‘got lucky’.
You hang around other dancers or people who complain about themselves a lot.
You spend a lot of money on your appearance, and it still doesn’t seem like enough.
You use words like ‘always’ and ‘never’ when critiquing yourself (ex. ‘I always screw up X, I’ll never get it right.’)
You take constructive criticism very personally.
You quickly give up if a practice isn’t going well.
You feel like this article is telling you to stop working hard.
You compare yourself unfavourably to others

If you want to start creating a more positive (and honest) image of yourself, try these tips:

Find at least one thing you did well after each practice. Thank yourself for doing it well.
Ask your instructor to let you know where you’ve made progress, and trust their opinion! Remember that they are the experts.
Ask yourself why you feel fat, clumsy, etc., and using only hard facts, what you know that backs that up. Compare that to why you might be the opposite.
Imagine yourself as a champion dancer. Think of how this person would walk, talk, feel, and dance. Practice being this person in your daily life.
Write down an empowering sentence about yourself, and repeat it daily. For example: ‘Every day, I am becoming a more skilled and competent dancer.’
Make a plan with your instructor, and set some concrete goals you can measure your progress by.
Smile more! Studies show just by smiling, you can trick your body into feeling happier, which boosts your self-confidence.
Stop comparing yourself to anyone but yourself from 24 hours ago.
Practice letting go of your mistakes, either by making it funny, or quickly refocusing on the next movement.
Reward yourself after doing something well, even if only by allowing yourself to feel a little pride.
Surround yourself with positive people.
These mental hacks will allow you to start seeing yourself in a better light. And that in turn, will help you find the motivation you need to become the dancer of your dreams. Go get ‘em!

The article was wrote from Author: Ian Crewe

North Shore Dance Society

Every competitor hopes to do better in every competition. Regular competitors often get an idea of where they will likely place, especially when on the floor with couples who are often in the same heats. With all of that said, most of us have either had the experience, or seen the look of shock on the faces of a couple, when a surprise result is called.

Often the surprise has less to do with skill than with other factors. Consider these 5 reasons why you might get a surprise competition result.

1. When you want to do well, just a bit too much.
Perhaps you may have placed unexpectedly higher in a previous competition and feel driven to do so again. Or you may have trained especially hard before this competition. Whatever the reason, it is not uncommon to want to do particularly well in a particular competition, and put a lot of pressure on yourself to do so.

The risk: Your adrenaline may be so high that it starts to hurt your performance. You may also over emphasize moves to the point where you look broken, over power your partner to the point that you are no longer in sync, or try variations that you have not practiced enough.

The solution: Recognize that this is a common risk. When adrenaline runs high, take some time before the critical heats to run through your moves in your mind, thinking of executing them slowly and effortlessly. Also take a look at our article on mental focus for more on this.

When feelings tense, it is also a good idea to pay more attention to your partner and focus on making them feel comfortable. This has the wonderful dual benefit of taking you outside of your own thoughts and pressures, and also putting your partner in a better place.

2. Not actually dancing much in your routines
Many open level competitors are tempted to put a lot of tricks in their choreography. This is especially true for competitors who are particularly athletic or flexible, and want to  showcase their abilities in the hopes of standing out.

The risk: Having too many tricks and not enough dancing is counter productive. An adjudicator will have a hard time marking you on your dancing if there is very little of it in your routine. Every routine should showcase the character of the dance first and foremost, and your mastery of its technique. If you do not show this, it is like taking an exam and not answering the questions.

The solution: Truly showcase your unique abilities and choreographic skill by adding tricks as highlights. Too many highlights are actually blinding, and mask the value of each one.

3. Not practicing the things you are good at
You need practice to maintain skills as much as to improve them. It is very tempting, especially when learning something new, to not pay attention to your foundation.

The risk: Glossing over the easy parts, your older routines or the basic points of technique that you are familiar with, will cause the quality your dancing to decline over time.

The solution: Respect every part of your dance, every routine and every step.  If you stumble on basics, it will be hard for you to claim the position of a champion.

4. Poor dance etiquette
So many competitors have similar levels of skill.  Often the differentiating factor is the couple who is the best overall example of a champion. Poor dance etiquette will threaten this.

The risk: Intimidating others with aggressive floor craft is more obvious than you may think. Lack of courtesy to your partner and other dancers just makes anyone viewing you feel uncomfortable. The same is true for poor sportsmanship.

The solution: Redirect your energy to things that are more productive. Think of the ranking in results as a view of the couples who best represent all around excellence in our beautiful and challenging sport. Technical excellence, musicality and presentation are part of it, but dancesport is also a sport that engages an audience. Think of what you want and expect to see in a champion and you will also understand the importance of courtesy and poise.

5. Being over confident
If you always win, it is tempting to think that you always will. Nothing could be further from the truth.  As well. some excellent competitors have missed the finals by taking early rounds too much for granted.

The risk: Every couple works hard to prepare for competition, and the level of excellence in dancing, as in other sports, tends to rise higher over time. You truly never know how your competition will perform.  Feeling over confident can also have the effect of making you look bored or fake in your emotion. This  will never help any result.

The solution: Consider each and every dance as privilege. You have the health, skill  and the opportunity to do what you love. That is awesome! So many people do not. You would not have become a competitor if you did not love to dance. Every competition is your opportunity to show your passion, inspire others and experience the pleasure of dancing in a wonderful and exciting environment, with others who love dance too. Again, that is awesome! None of us should ever take any part of that for granted.

North Shore Dance Society wants to thank the Author: Miss P

So you are competing at a DanceSport event. That is awesome!! It truly is. It is a great opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people who love dancing as much as you do. It is also a great chance for you to show off your personal spark.

Some people do their first competition after only a few weeks of dancing. Others after several years. Most are somewhere in between. The main advantage of competing early is that you don’t have much time to think about it, and develop expectations or anxiety. This is a HUGE advantage! But, if you are a bit nervous (and yes, saying bit could be a big understatement), you can do a few specific things to get that under control, and reinforce you feeling of being well prepared. These 8 tips should help:

1. The absolute biggest problems, are when you get so tense that you can not move well, and when you get thrown off when you make a mistake. You WILL make mistakes! And it is OKAY! Even the professional dancers make mistakes in pretty much every dance. If something goes wrong, just keep going and smile brighter. Most mistakes are noticed only after someone sees the look on the dancer’s face, that says clearly that they just made a mistake.
2. Practice in a way that builds stamina. Do multiple rounds of your dances with only a 30 second break in between each. Even if you are very fit, if you do a lot of heats your muscles may get a bit worn from repetition of the same moves, and you might feel wilted when the adrenaline wears off. It is best to get used to the actual experience of how you may feel, in preparation for every competition you do.
3. In your rounds, use real competition music, played at the right speed or even a bit faster, and again without stopping if there is a mistake. Not stopping is critical. You need to practice recovery from mistakes as much as anything else. Smiling brighter (from point #1) will set your mind in the right place, to get your body to get to the next point without drama. This is important.
4. The most successful pro-am students take on the mindset of the professional when at comps. By that I mean, they do not expect their partner to make them look good, or even expect their partner to look better than them. They go onto the floor expecting to perform well as individuals, with equal responsibility for how the couple looks. This mind set can do wonders.
5. If you will wear heels to dance at competitions, practice in heels that are either the same or a bit higher height than the heels you will wear to dance in the comp. Your competition shoes should feel as or more comfortable to you than your practice shoes. Do not wait too long to switch out of the low thick heel of a practice shoes, or if you can, do not wear them at all.
6. Another point regarding mindset is to think about showing each move cleanly and clearly as if you are demonstrating the right way to dance for others. It is amazing how good you can get when you have in your mind the need to show others the correct moves versus trying to prove what you know. Just try it and see. Do this in your practice as well as at the competition.
7. On competition day and the week before, do not think too much. Really!! You will do better when you trust everything that you have learned and practiced, and you just let it happen. If you drain your energy by trying to change a lot of things at that late point, it will very likely throw you off.
8. Finally, remember that judges don’t really mark for flash or perfection and do not generally consider those things other than for the highest level of competitor. For most levels, they look at whether the dancer understands and is comfortable with the fundamentals of their level, and really how comfortable the dancer makes them feel. If you are too tense, it will be hard for them to focus on your dancing skills because it will make them tense too and attract their expectation to your inevitable mistakes (yes inevitable and expected and no big deal mistakes) instead of your overall awesomeness.

North Shore Dance Society wants to thank the Author: Miss P for the great article.

#NSDSBonev

North Shore Dance Society is extremely excited about the upcoming ballroom competition Harvest Moon Chicago.

We found a very interesting article with some great Reminders when we dancing.

We all occasionally forget things, especially at times of a ballroom dance competition. But, we shall remind you, dancer, of 10 little hacks you should definitely keep in mind.

1. Warmup with your partner about 30 minutes before your heat
2. Eat bananas & chocolate at your competition day
3. If you feel slippery on that floor, use castor oil
4. Know, cherish, love and be friends with your deck captain!
5. DEODORANT!!!
6. Eyelash glue keeps your accessories on while you dance.
7. Hairspray will keep your hair solid.
8. Consuming LESS water before and after your heat will keep you away of the bathroom & it will keep your heart in a better shape!!!
9. “Tiger Balm” will help you when a muscle was pulled… North Shore Dance Society strongly recommend keep one in your bag!!!!
10. Judges will love you if your number is neat and secure !

North Shore Dance Society wants to thank dancecompreview for the wonderful article!

Have you ever felt nervous before performing at Ballroom Competition?

North Shore Dance Society found this amazing article which we hope would be useful to all competitors.

Beating Competition Nerves

For some people (OK, most people), performing in front of others can be the single most frightening experience of their life. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some tried and true tips from a 12 year professional on how to beat competition nerves. The first section are tips you can actually physically apply, the second half are tips on mental preparation and attitude. If you think the second half is unnecessary, you are quite mistaken. The way you think about something definitely influences a situation’s outcome.

Eye Level-Keep your eyes looking just above the heads of the audience and the same for the judges. Looking above the crowd makes them MUCH less noticeable and aids in keeping your dancing frame maintained.

Breathing – Please remember to breathe! This sounds silly but I cannot tell you how many students I have had to tell to breath in a competition. Air is desperately needed for the muscles to perform at a higher level (not to mention to sustain life and keep your instructor from having heart failure that their student is going to suffocate on them). Focus on slow, smooth and controlled breathing. This also takes one’s mind off of worrying about anything.

Pre-competition stretching-stretching the muscles thoroughly before going out on the competition floor is critical; when your legs are shaky from nerves they just start a chain reaction, they make you conscious of your nervousness and add to it. Stretch for a good 10 minutes before dancing and keep moving and loose between dances.

The Mental State for Ballroom Dancing Competition:

Anticipation – I wish I knew who said it but I don’t, “the anticipation of an event is always worse than the actual event itself”. Often in life we panic unnecessarily over an impending situation. Unless you’re a psychic, you REALLY DON’T KNOW how the situation will turn out! Be open to the possibilities and opportunities awaiting you instead of fearing the unknown.

Alter Ego-in a recent conversation with Dorothy, a ballroom student and friend, she was commenting on some comments given her after a VERY playful character kind of routine. Someone asked her how she could get up and act so crazy, so funny, so wonderfully in front of all those people. Dorothy responded “are you kidding, how many chances in life do you get to be a whole other personality or person!?!” She certainly hit the nail on the head. For about two minutes, you can be whoever you want and we all know how uncommon a chance that is so GO FOR IT! If you’re Latin dancing, imagine yourself the greatest Matador in Spain, roses thrown at your feet. For women, you’re the prettiest Senorita in all Spain, men vying for your affections and unable to resist your charms. Imagine whatever you wish and for two minutes let it come true!

Compete only against yourself, make your competition have one goal and one goal only, to dance bigger and better than you ever have before. If you dance for the enjoyment, you win no matter what place the judges give you and have a True memory to last a lifetime.

Overcoming Negative Thoughts and Doubts

Negative thoughts – think only positive thoughts before and during competition. The times I said to myself, “I don’t want to goof that up” or “I hope I remember this or that”, I goofed up what I thought I wouldn’t and forgot what I hoped to remember, EVERY TIME!!! Think instead, I will remember this or that, I will do this or that right. Negative thoughts bring negative actions.

Finally, Trust your Instructor-You’re dancing with a trained professional who happens to be in his or her element, just enjoy the ride. I tell and have told my students for years, when you’re at a competition, you’re in My Backyard, Ain’t NOTHING bad gonna happen to you in MY backyard! It’s the truth, most instructors are truly in their element on the competition floor. If you trust in them and just enjoy the outcome, you’re guaranteed to make far fewer mistakes, shine brighter and have a great time in the process.

Have you ever had performance day jitters? Do you feel the adrenalin rush or experience dance anxiety prior to your performance or during your performance? Performance anxiety can happen to any dancers-new or seasoned. North Shore Dance Society would like to share the following tips with you to help you understand and tackle your performance anxiety.

Breathe
Shallow breathing will give you hype and increase your heart rate, which, as a result, will give you more performance anxiety. Deep diaphragmatic breathing can tremendously help with calming yourself down. ‘In’ through the nose,’Out’ through the mouth. Nice and deep inhales, and slow and controlling exhales. Closing your eyes or looking at an immobile object can also help your concentration. There is no need to keep the count of breaths you take, since it may vary from time to time, but the outcome you’re seeking should be the same – Calming your hype.

Your Focus is on You
Different people, focus differently. Some stay with their partners and practice before coming out, some need to get away from them and other people, sit in the corner and listen to music. The main goal is to focus on yourself and that you are doing this FOR yourself. I would assume, you got into competitive ballroom dancing because you physically or emotionally needed it. Otherwise, why would you be doing it? Nothing exists but you, your partner, your craft and the music that is about to play.

Trust and Accept
It is, however, important that you keep mind, that a lot of things can go wrong. Someone might cut into you in one of the dances, or you or partner might lose your balance, or even fall. Just accept the fact that there might be unforeseen circumstances, which you will not have any control of. There is no need to expect something to happen, or plan a way out when it happens. You’re just programming yourself in advance for a failure. Don’t worry, If it happens, you’ll figure it out! Trust the process, accept the outcome.
PS. If you ever find yourself forgetting your routine in the middle of a dance (which happened to me numerous times), talk to your partner before coming out, and pick a spot in your choreography to start from, in case one of you blanks out or get interfered. Always worked for me.

Just, Let Go.
I’m sorry to tell you, but there is nothing more you can do to make your dancing any better at this point. You practiced hard (or maybe not hard enough, but how much is ‘enough’ anyways?), you’ve discussed all the points with your partner, in case things go wrong; you’ve breathed deeply; focused on yourself, your partner and your dance; you’ve accepted things that might go wrong, which could be out of your control … That’s it!
You might not see this right now, but the whole process of development takes time. Practice to practice, competition to competition. There is no way around it. Just know, that YOU ARE getting better with every moment spent on a dance floor. It’s time to let go …

North Shore Dance Society credits the article to Author: Egor Shalvarov

Here is what North Shore Dance Society found from Dance Comp Review

Is your Face ready for your next Ballroom Dance Competition? Here are a few essential tips on MakeUp that will save.

1. Prepare your face properly to make your MakeUp last.
Wash you face and brush your lips. Yes, brush you lips with a soft toothbrush to remove any chapping. Your lipstick will look better and hold better after this quick lip exfoliation.
Your skin should be moisturized but not oily. To remove excess oil, left over dirt and makeup, go over your entire face with a bit of toner on a cotton ball after washing. Then apply a light moisturizer. If the moisturizer is too heavy, or if you do not use any moisturizer at all, the make-up will not stay long.
Then to make sure that your make-up has the best staying power, put a very thin layer of non-greasy, waterproof sun-block. Yes, sunblock. You should experiment with brands in between competitions. The main thing is to use one that leaves your skin dry.  Thick like toothpaste hold make-up better than those that are a bit runny. You could also use primer or other products that help make-up stay put, but the dry touch waterproof sun-block stands up the best to the amount of sweat and make-up you will have at a competition. When sunblock has been applied, wait 2-3 minutes before applying your foundation.
2. Make your skin look flawless but not flat.
If you have any darkness under your eyes, red spots or blemishes, dot your foundation there first and let it dry for 2-3 minutes before applying the rest. By the way, in these short breaks, you should have lots to do. Brush your teeth, take out your shoes and costumes, do a couple of warm up exercise or check your eyebrows for stays.
Apply a high quality, high coverage liquid or stick foundation. You can use your fingers or a brush to apply the foundation. You can also use a sponge if that is the only thing you are comfortable with, but it will take longer to apply full coverage as the sponge absorbs some of the foundation.
Tapping the make-up into your skin with a brush gives an air-brushed look. Patting it into your skin with your fingers gives a naturally smooth look. Either is good. Do not rub it in. You will actually be rubbing it off.
To make sure that you have a bit of glow, you can go over your base foundation with a mineral power foundation in a compact (not another liquid or nor foundation stick) or regular mineral powder. The mineral power foundation in a compact adds a bit more staying power to base foundation, and  is great for quick touch-ups since it is less likely to cake-up than straight powder.
Make sure that you soften the make-up at the chin or blend it into your neck so you do not have the look of a mask.
3. Highlights make a huge difference.
Using a highlighter around your eyes is essential to draw attention there, which is what you want. You can use white or silver iridescent shadow as a base on the lid, on the inside corner of the eye, below the eye and on the eyebrow bone into the temple. You can also put a couple of dots over the first one-third of the eyebrow that is closest to the nose for added lift, and above and below the centre of the lip to add a look of extra fullness.
For an even greater effect in opening the eye, draw a line above and below the lower lash line with a white, light, shimmery or bright coloured eye pencil that goes well with your costume. If you are not sure which to use, use white.
You can also add highlighting powder on the top of your cheekbones in white or a soft bronze that is much lighter than your skin. This further opens the eye, as well as highlights and adds dimension to your face.
Finish with translucent powder applied in a circular motion with a soft brush all over the face.
4. Select a theme for your eyes.
Ballroom competition make-up is performance make-up. You are performing for others and the best way to connect is with your eyes. Most of the time you spend doing your make-up should be spent on your eyes.
The theme you choose could be dark and dramatic, bold and theatrical, multi-coloured and dimensional, or soft and enticing. Think of the impression given by your costume and hair and continue it with your eyes.
Eyeshadow is generally the first step in building your theme, and is done after highlighting the eye area.  Look at several pictures and several styles to select an approach to eye shadow that works for you.  Some people love the look of just the iridescent base shadow from the step above. That is OK too. One way or another, always use the best quality shadow that you can find and afford. It needs to stay put and not crease or fade.  Theatre make-up is an option, but not necessary if you invest well. You will also use less of a good quality shadow, so it will last longer.
5. Eyeliner can make or break your look.
For the cleanest and clearest look the blackest, black eyeliner works best for most when it comes to competitions.
Waterproof gel liner is often the best selection. It has a paste like consistency so it is easy to spread thick, or to a thin point with a small eyeliner brush, and lasts without fading or smudges.
Liquid liners, pens and pencils are generally more likely to fade, and power liner is difficult to use.   If you use one of these, make sure that you have tested it first under athletic conditions so you will not be disappointed on the floor.
You should extend the liner a bit beyond the eye to  make it look bigger. If you do a cat-eye look, use the straight edge of a business card against your face to create a ruler for a straight eyeliner line. The edge of a spoon is a great guide for a curved line. Take note of the exact position of the card or spoon when doing the first eye and make sure the position is the same for the other side.
6. Mascara can help your false eyelashes look fuller.
Just like the liner, a waterproof version is a must and the blackest black is generally the best colour.  You will get more from your false eyelashes if you apply mascara to you own lashes first. If your eyelashes are lighter in colour, this is very important so the look of the false lashes is not weakened. If your eyelashes are black, the mascara will add to the look of thickness.
You do not need to use much mascara if you are applying false eyelashes on top. You should however look for brands that have anti-clumping brushes since your lashes will not blend well with the false ones if you have mascara clumps.
7. False eyelashes are the crowning glory of your eyes.
Your lashes give you a finished look. With the strong lighting, and rhinestones costumes at competitions, your eyes will likely disappear without them.
Look for both length and thickness in the lashes. Thickness sometimes is overlooked which is generally a mistake. Some brands come in double thick versions. If you are a bit uncomfortable applying thick liner, this type should be your preference.
For lashes that are connected in a strand, select brands that are not stiff and will allow you to easily bend them to the shape of your eye. You may need to trim the lashes, but you only really need to if they extend beyond your lid.
White or clear glue should always be used even if you have a self-adhesive brand of lashes. Remember when you are on the floor you are an athlete. Everything needs to be extra secure to you can move without distraction.
If the glue is new and runny, let it dry for a minute so it is more paste-like when you put it on. It will secure more quickly this way. The rounded end of a hair pin works well to make sure the lashes are in the right place.
Some lashes have rhinestones at the base. Some come in different colours.  This is your choice, but for coloured lashes, make sure you have a back-up pair of black on hand for a quick change if you do not like the finished  look, or leave this selection to a pro. Coloured lashes work well for some overall looks and not others.
8. Why not add extra sparkle?
Eyelash glue is great to have on hand for more than just eyelashes. You can glue loose rhinestones under the outer corner of your eye, or in simple designs on your forehead.
You can also bring hair jewelry forward onto your forehead and secure it with glue for an interesting look.
9. Do not forget your neck.
A long neck looks great on the floor, especially for Smooth and Standard. If you do not have this naturally, costumes with V neck-line can help, so can height in the hairstyle. It can also help to put the highlighting powder with some shimmer down the centre of you neck and into cleavage. Every little bit adds up.
10. Taking it all off.
Jewelry and eyelashes should come off first with a gentle pull. Then, wash your face, rub lots of moisturizer on your face, wash again and then repeat the cycle. The moisturizer rub helps to break down the left over make-up without over drying your skin. If eyeliner is very hard to remove, use petroleum jelly on your eyes instead of the moisturizer. After that, remove any last bit of makeup or excess oil by rubbing a cotton ball with toner all over your face. You will need to make sure your skin is completely clean after each competition so it will be in in great condition for the next time you shine on the floor.

North Shore Dance Society thank you the Author: Miss P and encourage all the ballroom competitors to follow this wonderful article.