Does Appearance Affect Judges?

[amateurdancer]

If a couple is competing in Amateur Pre-Champ or Championship International Standard and the male is not wearing a tux and the female is not wearing a formal ballroom gown, do you think that the judges will mark them down based on their appearance and not on how they dance?

Sincerely,

Amateurdancer

[fenixx]

Well, what are they wearing? In general, yes.

[Katarzyna]

Well, if they are clearly better than everyone else they will win, but if they are close to teh other couples in their event, they will be punished for the lack of grooming... ballroom competition judging is subjective, and aesthetics definitely play a role.

[tangotime]

Firstly, I think you mean tails-- secondly, any amat couple in comp, i doubt would ever enter any comp without suitable attire. thirdly, there is a dress code in force, and most certainly affect my marking . We always look to see if comp. are smartly " turned out "

[Ithink]

Appearance is part of the game, as are lessons with known judges, etc. If you do not look like your competitors, in a bad way, be it worse dancing or worse grooming, the judges will not mark you as highly. While we all wish that dancing was the only thing that counted, that's not the case. And there are some exceptions but to be one of those, your dancing better stand out head and shoulders above the rest in your field...

[fluffy]

You have to pre-dispose a judge to consider you as a serious contender. At a recent event I was at, there were some obviously less well groomed couples, they stood out from the start as not being as serious. And in EVERY case, their dancing was at the low end of the scale. Better grooming (hair, makeup, tan, dress) would not have immediately marked them out as not as good as their competitors, and they might have had a better chance of being considered. Of course, had they been brilliant they would have been marked, but why give judges ammunition not to mark you?

[Laura]

I once watched a tape called "The Judges' View" from DanceVision. The first or second thing that every single judge interviewed mentioned was appearance and grooming. It is vitally important in making a first impression.

It's also brutally frustrating to me that competitive dancing is more like a dog show or a beauty contest than an actual demonstration of dancing technique, but so be it. :) I really should get back to working on my new dress :)

[avab]

OK, I'll state my view in a slightly different way. Grooming is vital; costuming is optional.

In other words, if a gentleman is wearing a white shirt, black tie, vest, black pants, black socks, shoes in good condition, is clean and neat (hair in place), and the lady is similarly coifed and dressed, then the lack of costume is not going to deter me from judging them, nor will it negatively affect my placement.

If another couple is wearing tails and gown, but the clothes are not clean, or well-kept and/or they are not groomed appropriately, then the costuming is not going to get them an edge in the judging over the well-groomed, non-costumed couple. The slatternly approach is more likely to have a negative affect on my placement than a lack of costuming.

In between, couples who are just starting to wear costumes but still don't know how to do hair and makeup are simply advertising their newbie-ness; as someone else mentioned, the dancing usually matches the costuming in this case. Easy to judge that.

[SPratt74]

All I could think of when I read this was Master P. lol. That's a good example as to what not to wear say and do lol. ;)

[Katarzyna]

I agree with avab, that's why I said lack of grooming rather than lack of costume.

[Another Elizabeth]

At a Canadian competition where costumes were allowed in silver and up, I once saw the only couple in a 40+ couple event place first. I actually think the ballgowns were a disadvantage at that level, because it emphasized the lack of movement when the gowns just sort of hung there.

[argentine_princess]

I think it very much depends on the judge to be honest. I started competing for the first time at the start of this summer in ballroom and latin and didn't want to invest in expensive dresses till I knew what I wanted. I was always well presented and wore the closest thing I had to competitive dress and my partner has a tailsuit and tailored latin trousers so the only real different was the number of rhinestones lacking from my outfits. We always seemed to split the judges, some would put us first and others last but we never placed higher than 3rd. Couples who seemed to be less technically good dancers but fully competitive would place above us. I borrow competitive ballroom and latin dresses from my university team and all of a sudden we come first and second-same routines, same judges, same performance, different costume!!
Rightly or wrongly I thing it does affect the judges. My teacher (who also judges) says she knows adjudicators who will mark a couple down if the guy is wearing a pre-tied bowtie and not one he has knotted himself!
My new ballroom dress is had been commissioned (designed by myself) and will be arriving on the morning of our next competition-if we don'd start placing higher I'll have to come up with a new excuse! Though having said all that we did qualify for a national final at Blackpool wearing non-competitive dress so they can't be that biased!

[fluffy]

That reminds me of the time when friends decided to compete (latin) last minute so didnt have time to tan up. Their reviewer commented on their shade of skin colour, nothing about the dancing!! As I said before, don't give them a reason not to mark you.
I'm not keen on tails without a costume, as it makes the lady look under dressed, but other than that, well fitting and flattering non competitve wear will look better than manky old costumes.

[argentine_princess]

I've seen too many reviews commenting on things other than the dancing! I agree tails can make a lady look underdressed-I just went with it as my partner had had a tailsuit made just before he split with his previous partner (who had a dress) to dance with me and I felt bad if he didn't wear it!
I decided not to wear the competitive dress I was offered on a permanent basis from the university as I felt it was outdated and looked ridiculous on me!
I'll post again when I've got my new dress and comment on how it appears to have affected our judging-I've just a sneaking suspicion we may do suddenly better-particularly as my dressmaker is sponsering the whole comp!!!!
Don't you just love dance politics-maybe everyone should be made to dance in a black binliner-that would return the focus to the dancing

[fluffy]

OOh, do post a picture of your dress, I LOVE dresses :) who is your dressmaker? My partner wouldn't let me buy a stunning one I saw at a recent comp :( Sigh, he's right - I don't need a new one, but it was sooooo pretty.

[argentine_princess]

As soon as I get my dress I'll post a picture! I'm SO excited about it! I've only been dancing a year so I feel a bit spoilt having one already but my partner and I are starting to do quite well and he bought me one for my graduation present.
Its been made by SparkleDesign its a new company. She used to work for Chrisanne so makes amazing dresses but a lot more to my taste! Its black angel skin with burgandy georgette underneath, there's a slit at the front and back so the burgandy comes through. The top is slit down the front with burgandy crosslacing and then open at the back with more burgandy crosslacing to tighten in like a corset. The bodice is then going to be solidly stoned with cyan swarovski crystals with black jet hem stones creating vertical lines and edging like the boning in a corset. Its also got a cyan and jet hem necklace, black gloves and burgandy floats!
I couldn't have wanted for anything more perfect, I'll never need another dress coz thus is absolutely everything I love.
Sorry that all sounded rather showey offey but I'm so excited about it :D

[contracheck]

I once watched a tape called "The Judges' View" from DanceVision. The first or second thing that every single judge interviewed mentioned was appearance and grooming. It is vitally important in making a first impression.

It's also brutally frustrating to me that competitive dancing is more like a dog show or a beauty contest than an actual demonstration of dancing technique, but so be it. :) I really should get back to working on my new dress :)
The late Michael Houseman covered this area extensively. Speaking for a man, he said that the number patch should be placed neatly and correctly on the back, the bow tie should be properly tied throught the back loop, the legs of the pants must be not too long or short and should have gentle breaks at the ankles, etc, etc. Then the man should lead his partner onto the floor condifently as if he owns the the floor, make a simple but clean presentation, readjust his cuffs, pull down the front of his jacket, and wait for the music. After the dance, he said, the man escort his partner affectionately out of the floor; he said, some men leave their partners behind and exit, which is an absolute No. These are not actual dacing but judges watch them.

[caityrosey]

Glad to read something on how the men should dress. I never thought much about how the man should adjust his cuffs and such, but it's definitely true.

[delamusica]

Then the man should lead his partner onto the floor condifently as if he owns the the floor, make a simple but clean presentation, readjust his cuffs, pull down the front of his jacket, and wait for the music. After the dance, he said, the man escort his partner affectionately out of the floor; he said, some men leave their partners behind and exit, which is an absolute No. These are not actual dacing but judges watch them.

From the beginning of my dancing, my coaches always told me that walking onto the floor was one of the most important things to do well in a competition, because it's the absolute first impression the judges get of you. You want them to think well of you from the moment you step on the floor.

I remember spending lessons on walking onto the floor with partner, partner presenting me, how to stand waiting for the music, how to get into dance position, how to bow, and how to walk off the floor together. These were a part of my coaching from even before my first competition.

[contracheck]

Glad to read something on how the men should dress. I never thought much about how the man should adjust his cuffs and such, but it's definitely true.
Such acts before the satrt of dance draw jusdges attention and as the result judges are likely to watch such a dancer more attentively.

[caityrosey]

I'm curious now. What are some of the other key points of a man's appearance on the dance floor. We talk mostly about dresses and rhinestones on the forum. :) Understandably :) They're so sparkly :)

[fluffy]

From (my) standard point of view:
Does the tailsuit fit well?
Are the trousers the right length?
Is the right amount of cuff showing?
Are the shirt, collar, waistcoat thingy and hanky all nice and bright white?
Is the collar the right height? (high collars on short necks make you look hunched)
As with girls, hair, tan, and makeup if worn should look professional, and for men, they should not look made up (except at very close range).
Clean shoes, black socks.
Is the hair the right length - seriously, I was told an inch between collar and hair line.

That should do for starters :)

[caityrosey]

From (my) standard point of view:
Does the tailsuit fit well?
Are the trousers the right length?
Is the right amount of cuff showing?
Are the shirt, collar, waistcoat thingy and hanky all nice and bright white?
Is the collar the right height? (high collars on short necks make you look hunched)
As with girls, hair, tan, and makeup if worn should look professional, and for men, they should not look made up (except at very close range).
Clean shoes, black socks.
Is the hair the right length - seriously, I was told an inch between collar and hair line.

That should do for starters :)


Do you worry about matching the follow's costume?

And since I don't know a great deal about suit design, how do you know which style to pick, esp in Smooth where tails aren't required.

[fluffy]

I'm afraid I have to leave that to my smooth counterparts. There's not much variation in Standard: black or midnight blue, plain, or shadow striped. Some dare devils may go for grey, a shortie, or collar-less. I've seen different colour tails for demos, but then only in photos from the 80s!

[delamusica]

Are the trousers the right length?

This is HUGE! It's amazing how many guys in all styles show up on the floor with pants that are too short or long.

As for matching, I'm all for matching accents (standard a hanky, "waistband thingy," for smooth a colored shirt with black vest, or a colored tie, on a latin shirt maybe colored trim on the edges, depending on style) . . . but I really like the guys mostly in classic black.

One thing I haven't seen that could be interesting is if the girl had a black dress and the guy was wearing color . . .

I just don't like it when couples blend into each other.

[White Chacha]

...As for matching, I'm all for matching accents (standard a hanky, "waistband thingy,"....

Not for Standard. White hanky, white waistcoat. For USA Dance syllabus rules, black straight or bowtie.