I was just asked yesterday by my dance instructor to compete in a small competition ( I think). I'm dancing at the lowest level there is at the competition, and I'm not really sure about how anything works. Do I need to fake tan? Does my hair need to be done in a particular way? Should I cram in practice (comp is only 2 weeks away)? What does one do when one preps? Lol, outrageously daft I know, but I'm very new to this sport...

You put on nice clothes that are practical for the dance style, immobilize your hair with spray or gel, and then just go dance your best like normal.

You should really ask your teacher to help you with these things; I consider that to be part of what you pay for. Or, if you can, seek out some other female students (I'm assuming you're female) and ask them for assistance - someone is always willing to help.

Having said all that, if you are dancing in "newcomer," you're not expected to wear a costume, so find a nice dress that flatters you. I'd recommend fishnet stockings rather than nylons, if you wear any at all. Have your hair styled neat; if it's long, it shouldn't be flying around and a distraction to your appearance. I don't think you really need a fake tan at your level, but if you're especially pale like I am, you may want to add a light coating of tanning. Wear heavier make-up than you normally would.

Most people I know who compete do take extra lessons right before a competition, I would do enough practice to feel comfortable with your steps, but not to the point of exhaustion. Sometimes I do better if I don't dance at all the day before.

Good luck to you!

Thank you so much for your advice- now if only someone could tell me where I can get a job to pay for this competition! lol. Wow, I knew it would be expensive, but I had no clue it would be this much. I need to advance so I don't have to pay so much extra to have my instructor come! :) Thanks again!

Competitions sold to you by a studio tend to be many times more expensive than attending events on your own with an amateur partner.

That is a *very* good point! Chain studios like Arthur Murray's tend to be notorious for this kind of thing. They sell you packages of lessons, sell you an expensive package for the comp, and of course, you pay for your instructor. All pro-am competitions are more expensive than amateur comps, but generally speaking doing these with the Arthur Murray-style chains can be much, *much* more expensive - even more expensive than doing a pro-am comp with a recognized dancesport champion.

Hi there!

By now you may have already done your comp, but in case you haven't, here's the deal.

If you're doing Latin or American Rhythm, *yes* you need to fake tan. The easiest way is to exfoliate thoroughly, then go to a spray tan place like Mystic Tan. If you go two or three times the week immediately prior to the comp (get the medium tan first then the dark tan the last two times) you should be set for the comp.

Your makeup should be extreme. Remember, the lights at a comp can be very strong and without the tanning and the makeup, you'll look washed out. Yup, false eyelashes *are* the way to go.

Your hair should be fixed in a way so that it doesn't fly in your face when you dance. If it's short, spray the dickens out of it so that it wouldn't move in a hurricane. You may want to slick it down first, depending on the style you're aiming for. If it's long, by all means, tie it back, either putting it up in a bun or some other neat way of wearing it. Some people will wear extensions but for your first comp, it'll be too much hassle.

For your dress, double and triple secure it. Be sure you're wearing dance trunks under your dress (they look like briefs and are in a color that matches your dress). If your dress is strapless, (or if it's made with one strap) make sure that you stitch flesh-colored or transparent straps into it (everyone does this) so that there's no chance of it falling down. Practice in your dress, moving up to speed so that you're used to the feel of it and so that you have no surprises from it. (Remember, if your dress can slip or slide from your body at all (especially a latin dress), it can be a problem for you on the dance floor.

Finally, fake nails. Some fun, huh? These should be the last thing you put on, because you won't be able to put your dress on or do anything else after you've done so. Get some duct tape, lay your nails out on the tape the night before and paint them with the nail polish color you want. Then before you dance, slap them on with some nail glue. (This way you won't have to polish them while you're wearing them.)

Good luck!

Wanna let your hair fly? Sans hair spray and glue. Wanna dance and not care if you are tan? (The judges dont either). Wanna dance in the same costume all night? Wanna come away from a comp with enough money in your pocket to do the next three comps in comparsion? Wanna have as much fun and meet some very down to earth yet very competitive people? Wanna do the same stuff you are learning in the ballroom studio?..........Try Country

Since this is your first comp you shouldn't get too obsessed about it, and you should avoid spending too much money. After all, this is just a small comp that you are trying to see if you even like competitions.

Clothing: What have you been wearing for lessons? You proabably already have a decent skirt for whatever style you are dancing, just pair them with a nice top -- one that moves with you and stays up. It's best if it's some kind of leotard or bodysuit because that way it won't come untucked and also your under regions will be covered if your skirt spins up. The goal is to go for neat and clean and simple for your first comp -- you shouldn't feel like you have to spend a lot of money.

Makeup: Make up your face as if you were going out for a fancy night on the town. Think glamorous. Go for eyeliner, several coats of mascara, and a strongly colored lipstick. You might feel odd looking at yourself in the mirror if you aren't used to wearing a lot of makeup, but try this: put on your makeup and stand as far away from a mirror as you can -- 10 feet would be ideal. You should be able to see your eyes and lips clearly. If not, add more eyeshadow, or lipliner, or whatever you need.

Nails: If you don't currently have long nails and don't want to try glue-on fakes, just make sure your nails are clean, neatly shaped, and polished. A strong color, perhaps one that coordinates with your lip color, is the best bet.

Hair: Get it up and get it out of the way. You will need more bobby pins, hair pins, and hairspray that you'd ever imagine. Don't be afraid of using too much. If you have long hair, the easiest style is a low bun slightly above the nape of the neck. Make sure all stray hairs are slicked back and glued down. I also like using a hair net, you can buy them at drug stores like Rite Aid and Walgreen's. Goody makes them, and they are very fine and come in different colors to match different hair colors. They really help to keep the bun secure. If you're just doing Latin and rhythm, you can also get by with a simple ponytail -- so long as it's not so long and thick that it whips around and thwaps you or your partner.

Shoes: Do you only dance in lace-up practice shoes, or do you have a pair of court shoes or sandals? If you only have practice shoes, it would be nicer if you had court shoes or sandals, but if you've only got two weeks until the comp you might not be able to buy a pair -- and besides, we're trying to save you money here. If you can buy shoes, get a pair in tan satin. The style these days is to wear shoes in tan satin because it lengthens the leg line. The nice thing about tan shoes is that you can also wear them with any dance costume that you might have later.

Tanning: If you feel like doing it, then do it. If you don't, then don't worry about it. I use self-tanning products that I can buy at the drug store, but I don't bother with them for Standard or Smooth unless I'm showing a lot of bare skin. If your top is long sleeved then I wouldn't bother at all for this first comp.

Practice: If you can afford the time and money for extra lessons then do it, otherwise don't worry about it. You can practice on your own, even if that means just sitting quietly at home and visualizing yourself dancing through all your different dances. Personally, I don't think "cramming" makes much difference -- what you dance in competition will be what has gotten into your muscle memory over the past few months, not what you're going to learn in the next week.

Remember, you're going to be dancing in a small competition against other newcomers like yourself. The object here isn't to worry about going out and winning everything this first time, it's about learning what it's like to compete and deciding for yourself if this is something you want to keep doing or not.

As for price...Pro/Am competition can be very expensive. Some studios charge a lot more for competitions than others. Some competitions cost a lot more than others. There are ways of keeping the costs managable but you have to be an informed consumer and be smart about what you are buying. I danced Pro/Am with an independent teacher not associated with any studio for about 7 years. He would bill me the competition's rate for entry fees and tickets (no mark-up) and a per-dance fee for his time. It was very simple and clear and I could control my expenses by deciding which comps I would go to, and how many events I wanted to enter.

Other studios don't operate like this. Some charge a small mark-up because they organize all the students' entries and tickets so that everyone can be together as a sort of social outing. Sometimes they add a small surcharge split between all students to cover the income lost while the teachers are at the comp and therefore not teaching. These practices are customary and fair and often don't add too much to the cost of competition.

A few studios out there, however, charge massive amounts of money. I talked to a woman once who was thinking of coming to a large well-known competition as a spectator. This competition has a web site, and when she looked up the ticket and and hotel room information on the web site she was horrified to find out how much her studio was marking things up. She figured she could pay for everything, including her hotel, plane ticket and an allotment for meals, and pay far less than the studio was charging for just the hotel and entry tickets. I'm not saying that everyone is out to rip you off, but I do want to warn people that getting involved in Pro/Am is definitely a case where the buyer needs to be informed and be aware.

You are not kidding about the fees studios charge for Pro/Am competitions!!! I just received the bill for my first Arthur Murray competition - over $1000!

I like Arthur Murray, but cannot wait until my contract with them is up so I will be able to dance as a more informed "consumer."