Dance costumes are one of the most important parts of any performance.
Not only can these dance costumes instill confidence in dancers, but they make it easier to perform your best. While it’s important to have the perfect dance costume, this is sometimes easier said than done.
There are a lot of dance costumes which don’t offer the same level of quality or style. The wrong style can be a distraction during performances and can take the attention away from the dance while poor quality is prone to malfunctions. That’s why you need to understand the do’s and the don’ts of custom dance costume design! Read on for these must-have tips.
Do design the costume with everyone in mind.
If you’re choosing a costume for more than one dancer, it’s important to pay attention to how this costume looks on everyone. Nothing is worse than a costume that only flatters some of the dancers and leaves others without feeling confident. Team costumes are a great way to boost the feeling of togetherness and community, but only if everyone is able to look and feel great in their uniform!
When designing or choosing the costumes for a team, ensure everyone is comfortable with the selection. That doesn’t mean everyone needs to be a fan of the color blue, but it means checking that you’re giving your dancers the right amount of coverage and support they need. Asking these questions upfront will make sure everyone is excited to wear their uniforms!
Do choose colors that are flattering.
Odds are you’ve come across some dance costumes that are less than flattering. Some colors simply do not look great on any and all skin tones. Keep these coloring rules in mind when choosing or designing a costume for a dancer or team to ensure everyone is able to wear the costume comfortably without working about unflattering colors.
In general, it’s best to play it safe when choosing colors. White gold might look great against some skin tones, it’s also known to wash dancers out. Similarly, nudes can often pose a problem when paired with a variety of skin tones. Vibrant, solid colors including white and black are universally flattering and should illuminate all dancers regardless of skin tone.
Don’t choose busy patterns or shapes.
You need the focus to be on the dancer during the performance, so you need a costume that doesn’t take away from the dancer. Clean lines and shapes are a good rule of thumb when it comes to designing dance costumes. You don’t want an excessive amount of color combinators or unusual fits that distract they eye during performances. In general, if you have to ask yourself if the pattern or style is too busy, it probably is.
Don’t rush fittings.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when designing dance costumes is rushing the fitting process. If the dance costumes don’t fit the dancers properly, the costumes will be prone to malfunctioning during performances! In order to get the right fit, always use a sizing chart if you’re ordering your uniforms from somewhere like Move U: Custom Jerseys – Team Apparel – Cheer Uniforms to ensure you’re ordering the right size for each dancer.
If you’re unsure whether to size a costume up or down, always size up. It’s easy to take in fabric if necessary, but it’s much harder to add fabric. Don’t guess when it comes to sizing costumes! Always use exact measurements and don’t assume the sizing is the same across manufacturers.
Do choose high-quality costumes.
When it comes to designing dance costumes, you don’t want to compromise on quality. Performance apparel can add a lot to a dance routine, but only if the quality of the material matches the dancer. Poor quality dance costumes run the risk of being easily damaged or malfunctioning during performances. You want your dancers to feel their best, and there are no shortcuts when it comes to performance costumes.
It’s important to design the best dance costumes.
The right costumes empower dancers to give their best performances. It’s worth spending the extra research and time finding the best materials, styles, and sizes for your dance costumes. Having the right costume is an important step in preparing for performances! As long as you listen to these dos and don’ts, you’ll be read to design the best dance costumes that impress!
Wonderful article written by our Guest Author Ashley Lipman
