Competition dress choice; heel height; re-wearing dresses; & salsa/mambo question

RiseNFall said:
What, if anything, do those of you who wear fishnets wear over the fishnets to prevent thigh chafe? I use Jockey "Skimmies Slipshorts". I'm trying to get a broader perspective for somebody else. Thank you!
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Don't skimmies show? when you turn, and your skirt rises?

I have heavy thighs, and I've never worn anything other than fishnets, and never gotten thigh chafe from them. <worries>
 
I do have a shorter hot pink pair for under my pink rhythm dress, but even the regular length doesn't show with my smooth dresses.

I might be an outlier in being more comfortable with something like that, however.
 
RiseNFall said:
What, if anything, do those of you who wear fishnets wear over the fishnets to prevent thigh chafe? I use Jockey "Skimmies Slipshorts". I'm trying to get a broader perspective for somebody else. Thank you!
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I thought ladies were supposed to wear something called "dance panties" under their dresses (so that when we turn, and our skirts fly out, we don't inadvertently cause spectators to go blind). But I also thought that would only be necessary if the dress did NOT have a built-in bodysuit.

One of my rhythm practice dresses ($30 from overseas/online) is very tight & stretchy, & it came with a little pair of boy shorts (AKA "booty shorts" AKA "hot pants") in the same color to wear underneath. They RUIN the look of the dress, since they cause muffin top at the waist and reverse muffin top at the bottom. Btw, is there a name for that? where the flesh sort of squishes out from under the bottom hem of tight-fitting shorts? ("Biscuit Butt"?) Whatever it may be called, it's very unattractive, and I would dearly love some suggestions on how to avoid it while maintaining at least a little modesty (commando is the only sure-fire way to avoid panty lines, but I gather that's in the category of "way too risky [and risqué] for a comp"). Spanx makes a wonderful garment that has shoulder straps, comes down snugly across the lower back and abdomen, then divides into mid-thigh-length shorts (I think it's called a mid-thigh bodysuit). Since it smooths everything from the top of the ribcage down to mid-thigh, there's no bulge anywhere. Sadly, it is visible under anything that is backless, has open shoulders, or flies up to reveal the top of the thighs...thus not useful for this purpose.

Spanx also makes a bunch of other options, such as a high-waisted version with no shoulder straps (which has a tendency to roll down from the top of the ribcage); a leotard-style version (which creates visible lines/bulges across the butt cheeks); and a strapless version (which I'm probably going to try next). Would love to know what you gals have tried that works.
 
Today's lesson, I wore a standard gown with fishnets -- completely cut off the waistband of the fishnets, not just snipped. Tried this years ago, and the um, er, mission creep was most unpleasant, so I've been snipping for years, and put up with the bulge. Today, for some reason,they did not creep down, not during the whole hour of the lesson. So I know they'll hold out for two sets of singles and a scholarship. Yay. Don't like the bulge where the waistband cut into my skin; this smoother look made me happy.
 
Warren J. Dew said:
"Costume" typically means the appropriate clothing - and sometimes hair and makeup - for competition at the open level, for example tails and ballgown for Standard. Costume is often forbidden in lower level competition. "Competition dress" means whatever one competes in, which might be a ballgown at the open level or more casual dress at a lower level.

For a show, appropriate dress would depend on the specific show. If you're doing a studio show, I'd recommend relying on the instructor's advice - or the advice of his partner - as they'll know what's expected. In general, I think it's safe to rely on the instructor's advice until you start forming opinions of your own, and definitely bring the dress in beforehand so the instructor can check to make sure it doesn't interfere with the dancing.

When I was competing in Standard and Smooth, my partner always wore the same ball gown in both, although some ladies prefer to have two different gowns. There are some standard gowns that don't work for open level Smooth because, while they are fine in a closed dance position, they cause problems in certain arm actions, such as bits falling across the lady's face. In principle, Standard only requires one full circle skirt while Smooth may require a double full circle to accomodate actions where the lady takes hold of her dress, but I've never actually seen a Standard gown that isn't full enough for Smooth.

Shoes are very much an individual or partnership thing. In addition to the woman's unique foot and body shape, some women may adjust their heel height based on the height difference with their regular partner. The nude colors popular these days are used to deemphasize the shoes, and perhaps the feet, which makes the specific design less important for judging. Women who have good feet may match the color of their shoes to their dress color instead. I can imagine that some judges might mark down for using cuban or block heels - the wider ones - but subtler differences are less likely to make a difference to judges. Black shoes are great for practice but can look heavy in competition.

I've always just assumed it was because many women like to change dresses a lot, rather than need. That said, I've had partners that wore the same dress for years.

One thing to note is that it's not a lot more expensive to change dresses frequently than to keep the same dress, because most women wear used dresses, so you can usually sell the dress for not much less than you bought it for. This facilitates having "new" competition dresses frequently.

Occasionally, perhaps. I remember one competition when my then partner was wearing a dress that had previously been worn by a world champion several years and owners before. That world champion's partner, now retired, was judging the competition, and did a double take clearly visible on our video when he recognized the dress. I don't think it matters, though.

"Salsa" seems to be a currently popular social dance, so it can be the dance most useful to many students. And yes, it's the same as Mambo except that some people dance Salsa breaking on 1 instead of breaking on 2.

Bolero and Viennese Waltz are not generally danced socially in American style, so they are arguably the least useful dances in Rhythm and Smooth respectively. They are also typically not included in competition until the higher levels. It's not surprising that you haven't worked on them 6 months in; some people never learn them. Mambo is the next least popular dance, and yes, Salsa is basically the same dance, if you learn to break on 2.
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There is a major difference in musical styles today as opposed to Mambo, and, the variations and concepts in some cases, conflict .

If I get asked to teach Mambo, I will use the appropriate music and include certain variations that are not used in salsa .
 
Larinda said:
Pro ballroom standard girls love pantyhose! Why I don't really know.
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Could it have anything to do with the fishnets being higher friction compared to hose, and having more voluminous skirts which must move between two pairs of legs on nearly every step?
 
Warren J. Dew said:
You think the men don't get a vote? Half the time, we're buying our partners' outfits!
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I assume you're half-joking here, but my initial reaction on this post was still an eyebrow raise.

There are numerous women at my studio who are clearly funding their own dancing, including costumes. Or co-funding with their spouse who also dances. It is the 21st century after all. I can't think of anyone who is being funded by her husband.

I appreciate larinda's comment here... though I'm personally not surprised. There's a tendency (not just here, I see it widely) to speculate and assuredly come up with one's own suppositions instead of just *asking* those who are impacted and listening.

On pantyhose... I used to wear nylons (knee-high's) with my dance shoes when I started, and I initially wore Spanx for anything with a skirt. But once I switched over to no socks/nylons, there was no going back - the traction inside my shoes was so much improved. And yeah, traditional pantyhose (and even Spanx) suck, and there's inevitably some sort of unattractive muffin top or bubbling out somewhere.
 
scullystwin42 said:
Personally, i have no idea how anyone would be comfortable dancing in pantyhose. Those things are THE WORST.
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And I have no idea how anyone would be comfortable dancing with bare legs, and bare feet in their shoes. But plenty of people are, apparently. Definitely one of those YMMV things in terms of comfort.

What your coach will allow you to wear on the floor for "proper" grooming is a whole different ballgame.
 
I prefer fishnets or bare feet for dancing. I started out wearing pantyhose for dance and I couldn't imagine being without them. Then I realized I was getting something akin to rug burn from the pantyhose. I like panty hose for street shoes. I don't like the sliding with happens with pantyhose and dance shoes.

Definitely fishnets for comps because I like the way they look. I use the softer dance fishnets, no muffin top but still get that great fishnet look. They even have some that are made for sandals so the pedicure gets shown off nicely.
 
I also discovered that any undergarments with strong control in the torso area had a negative effect on the way my dancing looked and felt. Several people people complimented me on one of my competitive numbers where I was not wearing a slenderizing undergarment. They told me I looked much more relaxed than my other numbers, where I looked rather stiff. They had no way of knowing that I had removed my tight-fitting undergarment for the number where I looked relaxed. . When I watched the videos, I determined they were accurate in their assessment. There was a noticeable difference. Ever since then, I where undergarments that are secure but not binding.
 
This has been an interesting read. For going out social dancing, I prefer to wear tights, the more opaque the better. Bare legs, or legs with sheer hose, is not an attractive look on me. For events, in the past I've worn thicker hose or tights or fishnets, depending on what's appropriate for the style.
 
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