Ballroom Dance Costumes

Ballroom dance costumes run the gamut from simple to funky, from traditional to a little bit edgy.

A Quick Overview On Ballroom Dance Costumes

Regardless of the style, there are some basic guidelines to choosing costumes for ballroom dance.

Theme

First, think about your dance theme, if you have one. Will you be playing by the rules and focusing on a more traditional dance? If so, think about tradition when picking costumes. You’ll want your costumes to match that safe, conventional style of dance.

If you are dancing a traditional ballroom dance, this might mean that you choose white or pink or, for a Latin dance, you might choose a fiery midnight blue or red.

Plan to shake things up a bit and add some edge? Make sure your costume meets that challenge. Add an edgy feel. However that works for you, make it work. It might come in the form of a frayed looking hem, an asymmetrical style to the dress, or a man’s shirt that’s worn untucked.

If you’re dancing in competition, just make sure that whatever costume flourishes you add are still appropriate to the dance and competition.

Coordinate

When you pick or design your ballroom dance costumes, make sure that they are coordinated. That is, if she’s wearing pink, he should have either some pink somewhere on him, or he should be wearing a color that coordinates well with pink (say, grey, black or even brown).

These issues can one of the hardest aspects to choosing ballroom dance costumes. He wants one thing, and she wants another. Perhaps they disagree on style or color. Whatever it is, the end result must be coordination. That’s not to say that the costumes must match (if one has sequins then the other must also, or that the costumes must be the same color) but they should coordinate well.

Comfort

Of course, you don’t need the kind of comfort that a lazy day on the couch might require, but comfort is important. Especially if your dance is very physical, it’s important that you can move easily in it and that it provides the necessary amount of stretch.

When you try on a costume you might consider wearing, test it out. Do a few dance moves, and put your hands high in the air, then bend down low. Twirl around and make sure that everything stays put (most essential with a woman’s costume) and that the costume still looks good after you put it through its paces.

Don’t rebel

We don’t suggest trying to create a costume out of something that’s not. That is, don’t try and wear a cocktail dress as a ballroom dress, or a plain suit as a ballroom costume for a man. There are methods to getting less expensive ballroom costumes, so take advantage of those and save money if you have to on the full cost of a costume. But don’t rebel so much that you eschew the very idea of wearing a costume.

Costuming is a critically important part of ballroom dance. Treat it with seriousness and care and you will likely be rewarded with good scores and there will be a personal sense of satisfaction in a job well done.