A NEW VENTURE!!!

As many of you know, I am always keeping busy.. Well here I go again. Elizabeth and I have been asked to so a seminar on hair and makeup for competitions. Our first seminar will be at Vicki’s Ballroom in Seminole, FL.  We will be addressing the entire package before you get on the floor, In addition, we will be discussing what the judges are looking for, hair, nails, makeup, styling. Also to be covered is how do you remove the products from your hair and face! Preparing for beauty is a lot of fun.

This seminar will be available to studios all over the country.

This will be awesome!!

It occurred to me that I am so fortunate to be in the dance business. I am a trained professional dancer. With that comes the opportunity to teach, coach, perform, make costumes, do hair/makeup, judge, socialize, network and make friends. Just to name a few of the many benefits. I do consider myself lucky to have fallen into this magical world. As you can see, one can be involved in so many ways from artistic and administrative avenues to technology and event planning.

I started out like many people - as a student of dance. I was completely in love with ballroom dancing. There was no other form of activity that gave me that adrenaline rush. The thrill. The joy. To this day, I still remember all the joyous moments. I remember learning particular things from particular people. I competed as a student and then became an professional instructor. Immediately, I found a pro partner and started to compete professionally. During this time I did my own hair and makeup and made my own costumes. More on that later.

Over the next few blogs, I plan on expanding on the various channels of income making in the ballroom world. It is safe to say that whatever your expertise, we can use in this world. So stay with me  a while, let us explore together my past experiences and good times.

It is that time of year when dancers from all over the world converge on Orlando, Florida. The level of dance is excellent and the energy is high. The United States Dancesport Championships is a week-long event that involves dancers, judges, vendors, spectators and others from all over the world.

The glamour and glitz is not to be rivalled. In one room you find dancer’s practicing in costume, in sweats; with or without their partners; with or without their coaches. The room is abuzz with adrenaline. The DJ plays a variety of music according to the published style of dance being practiced. There is a rehearsal/music schedule that follows the sequence of events during the competition so that dancers can get prepared ahead of time. In another room there is wall to wall rhinestones. Dance dresses, dance shoes, hair gizmos, rhinestone accessories, men’s dance wear, evening wear, makeup, sports drinks, all types of stuff to enhance the dance experience. The main ballroom is huge. Bright lights, colored lights, backdrops and the dance floor. You enter the room even when it is empty and you can feel the excitement of the dancers. The large dance floor is the focal element. At the head of the floor is the dais where the Master of Ceremonies will take his place and conduct the event. Around the floor are tables, chairs, risers and the cordoned off VIP section. There is a judges’s seating area, where we watch and wait for our turn to take the floor and make decisions.

September. A solid week of drama, fun, excitement and entertainment. I will be blogging as often as I can to keep you informed. Who knows maybe you might be on that floor next year. Yes, you can. It is a great place to be.

My moonlighting job. Only difficult part is waking up soooo early in the morning. It sort of interfers with partying the night before. I do love playing in hair though. I will be posting some of my creations on the hair and make up page soon.