Hi everyone! I need some suggestions. I will do my first competition next week and I have beautiful dresses but my skin tan is very pale not to say white. What can I do to have a nice tan within a week that can last for 3 days? (P.S. I live in Canada and it is -10C outside today, was -25C last week, so to enjoy the sun is not an option for me). Thanks in advance.

Hey Estrella! I would suggest going to a tanning salon that offers a spray tan (that stays on for 4-6 days) or otherwise just go to a tanning salon and go tanning in a regualr tanning bed, the staff there should be able to help you determine which bed to go in according to how dark you want to be and according to your skin type. In the case that you dont want to do that or it doesnt fit into your budget (which it should, tanning salons usually give you good deals) just go to your nearest pharmacy store and they should sell self-tanning lotions..that as well will help you achieve a very nice tan and will last for a couple of days; please correct me if im wrong. Well I hope ive helped you. Good luck at your competition and good luck getting that tan you need.

-Jessica

Thank you for your help Jessica, I didn't know that spray tan lasts for 4 to 6 days. I'm so pale that I think I will have to use both the bed in the tanning salon and the spray tan as well. Thanks again.


Estrella

I must first apologize to all who may be offended by my opinion here but I hate the idea of thinking I have to have a tan skin in order to be a competitor. My skin is the color it is for a reason and I choose not to get involved in the rush to be something I am not. If I live in an area such as yours then it should be obvious I wont be tan and the judging of my dancing should not suffer because of it. Add to that the unhealthy aspects of applying chemicals to your skin and the damaging effects of tanning beds. My opinion is that everyone should strive to be able to dance again tomorrow and not have to worry about that suspect spot on their body that wasnt there before tanning.

While I completely agree with you in principle, I must say that there's this "ballroom look" that the judges expect you to have. I watched a video where judges were interviewed as to what they look for, and every single one of them mentioned "grooming". I was a little suprised, since these were some of the top judges in the US, and I figured they'd look past that to something else. But no, grooming was practically the first thing that every one of them said.

I don't tan, but then I dance Standard.

It's funny Laura that you mention that the judges look for the "grooming", I had a coaching session today and I was with another coach this weekend (both of them are Canadian judges)and this is one of the first thing they mention: grooming! I ask them what they think of my tan and they both reply the same thing: If the judges have to debate thightly between you and another couple, your tan (which goes with your entire look)might just be enough to make the difference. I'm doing Latin and Standard. P.S. My teacher (I'm doing ProAM) has an as pale tan as mine. So we "match" together.

I do comps and i only put a tiny bit on, but only 4 the magor comps e.g.Blackpool!!!!!!!!! Tans dont make you any better at dancing, but i suppose it looks better if you are realy white!!!!!!!!!But not streaky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I suggest we put color filtering glasses on all the judges and have them make their choices on dancing alone. I know, I know, fat chance. Either that or have the studios begin a new level of instruction Bronze, Silver and Gold grooming.

Hahhaaha! That's not actually a bad idea, since I've seen so many syllabus students go out there with hair flying all over the place (both men and women), dirty shoes, shirts that don't fit right, and so on.

I can certainly appreciate your feeling. Yup, tanning is a pain in the neck. Here's the problem though - with comps you get judged on grooming, and unfortunately the norm is to tan (for latin or rhythm comps). Judges will downgrade someone who hasn't tanned, just like they'd downgrade someone who hasn't dressed appropriately. I hate the tanning thing too, but having watched comps and having seen the occasional competitor who *hasn't* tanned, it really does make a difference. Because the lights are so strong at comps, people who haven't tanned look very washed out, and the judges will tend to look away from you.