​Champions choose Aida. That's the catchy slogan that started popping up all over my Facebook news feed in the past year. I began hearing about Aida shoes from the Pros in my studio and I noticed the Aida booth at more and more competitions. What was so amazing about these shoes that I suddenly couldn't turn a corner in the dance world without bumping into Aidas? Well, I decided to invest in a few pairs and find out for myself. For the past three months, I've worn my Aida shoes for almost every practice and at three comps, and I'm happy to say they were worth every penny!

What other brands have you worn?
Before jumping into my experience with Aida shoes, let me provide some quick context for what I am comparing them to. For the past few years, I've worn Supadance shoes for both smooth and rhythm, and Ray Rose practice shoes. Before that, while I was still deciding how much of a financial commitment I wanted to make with my dance shoes, I wore some Arthur Murray brand shoes and Stephanie dance shoes.

The Pros

• Custom fit - I have weird feet. They're short in length, wide in the front, and narrow in the heel. And while that combination of peculiarities may be unique to me, I know many others who have odd quirks to their feet. Whether they're super narrow, two different sizes, or ridiculously high in the arches, everyone has different feet, so it would make sense for everyone to have different shoes. Now I've ordered "custom" shoes before. In fact, I thought I had a pretty good fit with my last pair of Supadance shoes. I went on the Supadance website, chose my size, width, heel height and heel shape, then signed off on the extra charge and zero return policy since my requirements were special order. It wasn't until I had an Aida rep measure my feet, have me try on 10 different pairs of shoes (no exaggeration), and walk me around in them did I realize what I had been missing out on. I discovered my feet were actually a full cm shorter in length than I had been ordering, and I needed a triple wide for the front of my foot to be comfortable in rhythm (a width that I actually haven't seen offered by other companies).

As I get ready to coach with the amazing Jonathan Roberts this week, I thought about some of the things I consider before taking a coaching session and compiled them for you! But before you read on, if you're wondering what a coaching is or looking for the best way to prepare for one, check out our Pro interviews for more information!

• Decide what you want to work on ahead of time. Do you want a new routine? Are you struggling with one dance in particular that you need extra help with? Having a specific area of focus can make your session more productive. Discuss with your instructor what you’d like to work on, or if you’re uncertain, ask your instructor what they think would be best.
• Use your coaches to their strengths. If a coach is an accomplished Rhythm dancer, then it might make more sense to work with them on one of your Rhythm or Latin routines. Now that’s not to say they couldn’t help you in another style since usually, coaches are very flexible and able to assist in most situations, but they probably have more experience and in-depth knowledge of the styles they’ve worked in more extensively. If you’re not familiar with the coach that’s visiting, look them up online or ask your instructor.
• Set your expectations accordingly. Know how many sessions you have booked with the coach and talk with you instructor about what you can expect to accomplish in that amount of time. You’re not going to be able to fix all of your problems in a 45-minute session, so decide what’s most important to you and communicate that to your instructor.
• Budget ahead of time. Coaches can be very expensive, so figure out what your budget is and discuss with your instructor how many sessions make sense for you. Many times, just one is enough to choreograph a new basic routine or fix a couple of problem areas. Keep in mind that your instructor also needs to be paid for their time during the coaching, so in addition to the cost of the coach, you’ll also be paying for a lesson.

I hope these tips help you get the most out of working with some of the great coaches out there, and please feel free to share your own tips in the comments! Until next time, happy coaching and happy dancing!

Ever since starting ballroom dancing I've been on the search for the perfect lipstick. Through showcases and competitions I've tried many brands: cheap and expensive; matte and glossy; liquid and solid, yet I was never truly satisfied until September of 2015. What happened in September of 2015 you ask? Well LA Splash launched their line of Disney princess lipsticks! I purchased 3 different shades without even thinking about dance; I just simply needed to own Disney lipstick! Much to my surprise, they ended up being the perfect lipstick for dancing.

Why did you hold out on us?
Now you may be thinking, "September of 2015! Why didn't you mention this sooner?!" The truth is, I was afraid to recommend it knowing I hadn't tried the latest and greatest lipsticks; however, this past weekend I finally got around to testing out the last few brands I wanted to compare, and I can confidently report that LA Splash was the clear winner. During my time as a dancer, I've tried Wet N' Wild, Clinique, Urban Decay, Too Faced, Bare Minerals, and the final brands I tried this weekend were Stila, Tarte, and Smashbox. The biggest problem with all these lipsticks was staying power. I found that after an hour or so most of the lipsticks had faded or smudged, but I left the LA Splash color on my hand for two days (and I washed my hands and showered numerous times during the weekend) and by Monday morning it still looked good!

How much time it takes:

• Working time = ~30 minutes/bangle (mostly depending on how quickly you stone)
• Drying time = 84 hours (split into one 12-hour period and one 72-hour period)

Steps:
​1. Measure around the widest part of your hand. This will become the circumference of your bangle.

2. Measure out the boning so it’s as long as your hand measurement. BEFORE cutting, bend the boning into a bangle and make sure you can slip your hand through it. If your measurement is a little off (too big or too small) adjust accordingly.

3. Cut a piece of the boning the length of the measurement you just took (with any adjustments) PLUS an additional inch for overlap.

4. Apply E6000 to 1 inch of the boning and overlap the two ends.

5. Clip the center of the overlap with one of the binder clips. 

6. Let it dry for at least 12 hours. E6000 takes 24 to 72 hours to fully set, but after about 12 it should be dry enough to continue making your bangle. In the meantime, you can cut your fabric.

7. Cut a piece of your spandex that is the length of your measurement PLUS .5” for overlap, and 1.25” wide (assuming you are using the .5” boning). This allows the fabric to wrap around the entire bangle and overlap on the inside.

8. Remove the clips from the boning once the glue has dried sufficiently.

9. Apply a layer of E6000 to the inside of the bangle. It doesn’t have to be pretty and it doesn’t have to be super thick. You just need enough to cover the surface inside.

10. Press one side of your material along the inside, aligning the fabric edge to the edge of the boning. When you get to the overlap you can dab a little extra E6000 on whichever end is going to be on the bottom and press the other end on top.

11. Roll the rest of your material around the bangle until the free edge is back along the inside.

12. Apply another layer of E6000 to the inside of the bangle. You only need to cover half the width closest to your free fabric.

13. Press down the free edge of the fabric, lightly pulling so the fabric is snug around the boning.

14. Apply a dab of E6000 to the overlap on the bottom piece of fabric.

15. Begin stoning!

16. Work in small sections and apply E6000 across the outside of your bangle. This is so your glue doesn’t dry faster than you can place stones on it.

17. Place your stones on a mat, plate or another contained surface where you can spread them out in a layer. This makes it easier to pick up the stones one by one.

18. Press the sticky side of your Pick Me Up tool on the top of the rhinestone (the non-flat side). The rhinestone should stick to your tool as you lift it and move it to the bangle. It may take a little practice to get the right amount of pressure, but you shouldn’t have to press too hard to grab the rhinestone.

19. Press the rhinestone into the E6000. Continue placing rhinestones across in a row (I’ve found the row will comfortably fit 3 16ss rhinestones). Once you’ve finished a row, start the next.

20. Continue around the bangle until you’ve returned to your starting point. If there’s a little extra space between your first and last row of stones, then simply move the last row of stones a little closer to the first row to eliminate some of the extra gap.

21. Let dry for 72 hours.

22. Voila, you’re done!

​

As you may have guessed from the blog name, I love sparkles! So naturally, I've been dying to try out the glitter cut crease makeup look for competition. I finally got the opportunity this past week to try it out and experiment with the LA Splash Cosmetics crystallized glitter (which I bought on sale over the Thanksgiving holiday!) at an in-studio performance. The look and the glitter was a success! I received numerous compliments on my makeup and I largely attribute that to the glitter.

The Problems with Glitter
Despite buying the glitter when it was on sale during Black Friday, I didn't try it out until now for one simple reason: I was scared! I have used glitter in the past, both some inexpensive store brands and Too Faced Glamour Dust glitter, and had poor results. While the glitter was super sparkly and pretty, I found that I had to use a lot of it; no matter how much glitter glue I used, it would inevitably get in my eyes - making it look like I was crying during the performance.  Tears streaming down your face isn't a great look when you're trying to be sexy in Rumba.

The Pros
What I loved about the crystallized glitter was it had amazing coverage. I put on a light coat of white eye shadow and then applied Urban Decay's Bondage primer (another amazing product!) before applying the glitter. Then I I used 3 dabs of glitter and was done! It was super simple and quick. I recommend using a brush with compact bristles so you can pick up the glitter and press it on without losing a bunch. The lovely folks at Ulta recommended a concealer brush, but I found a small eye shadow brush that worked well, too.

The other great part about this glitter was it stayed in place! It didn't fall into my eyelashes and eyes every time I blinked. I attribute this mostly to the glitter, because I used the Bondage primer with the other glitters, too, and had no luck. It stayed on for the whole evening and then easily wiped off with makeup remover. I don't think I could ask for more! 

Author: D. Schoeppner
Tension. Fear. Cold hands. Sweaty palms. A racing mind about making mistakes. Will I remember that new part of the routine? I don’t want to disappoint my instructor. I want to perform well for my family and friends, judges and audience. I want to place well among the competition. Panic sets in. I have experienced each of these before a performance and competition, just as many of my dance friends, have experienced. It affects not just amateurs but professionals too. All these things can be summed up in one word, “anxiety.”

In this blog post I hope to pass along a few tips that I have found to be very beneficial in coping with, and even defeating, my anxiety about performing and competing on the dance floor. I hope this helps you, too.

​Anxiety is commonly defined as “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” It is based in our psychological thoughts about the imminent event and often leads to performing below your potential.

Some people suggest that you should breathe to calm yourself, simply relax, or just be confident. Although well intended, these have never really helped me and often frustrated me further. What I needed was a practical strategy beyond these superficial ideas of controlling my anxiety. One that can teach me how to gain control of my mind, and think differently by cutting to the root cause of the matter. But, how do I find such a strategy, then implement it?

What I stumbled across, and found to be effective, comes not from the ballroom community, but leveraging two concepts from other environments. The first comes from a world class Olympic Gold Medalist and the second is from the psychological training of mindfulness. By bringing these concepts together, I’ve successfully overcome my anxiety.

First concept - Mindfulness is defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.”
Mindfulness practices were inspired mainly by teachings from the Eastern World and have been adopted by many individuals, sports professionals such as Phil Jackson’s Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers as well as the corporate workplaces such as Google, Target, Goldman Sachs, and Aetna.

Jon Kabat-Zinn is Professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He says that mindfulness teaches you to be in the moment without projecting from the past or into the future. The present moment often gets squeezed out because we are focused on past mistakes or future results.

Your mind can only think about one thing at a time. So use your mind to stay focused on the moment, and think about what you need to perform your best. Don’t let your mind think of anything but ‘now.’ There will be plenty of time after the performance or competition to review and assess your performance and plan to improve it.

Second concept – A matter of perspective. Lenny Bassham, an American sports shooter who won a gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics, is author of the book With Winning in Mind and founder of Mental Management Systems LLC. He taught me that, to improve your performance, there are only a few things you have to accept. And if you accept them, you create a new and different attitude toward your performance and defeating anxiety.

He says: Everything that happens to you in life happens for a positive reason, if you look for it. Everything that happens needs to happen, because I know that only two things can happen to me. Either I win or I learn. Either I perform well, succeed and feel great about that, or I’m shown something that I absolutely need to see and experience in order to move forward.

When do we learn? We don’t learn much when everything goes right. Lenny said that every champion he ever met says the same thing: you learn more when you fail than when you perform well. We tend to learn when we struggle, when we realize that things didn’t go well because I didn’t train well on that item.

This does not mean you should deliberately fail. You don’t have to do that; life will throw you enough curves. Having the right attitude when you do have a bad performance is critical to your learning and knowing what to work on and where to improve. What happens to you in life doesn’t matter; what you do about it does.

To beat anxiety, go into the performance or competition with this attitude: Whatever happens to me needs to happen so that I can perform well or learn where I still need to improve. If you weren’t trying to improve, you wouldn’t be taking lessons and coaching.

SUMMARY:

1. Mindfulness (focus on the present moment). Focus your mind on the present moment, the now, not about what happened in the past or what the audience, judges, instructor or yourself might think after the fact. Let those thoughts about the past and future go and be in the moment with complete focus on your performance without any attachment to the result.
2. Attitude perspective. Everything that happens during your performance needs to happen. And only two things can result. Either you perform well/win and you can be proud of your accomplishment, or you learn what to improve upon. Either way you look at it, you win. This is what is called a win-win attitude perspective!

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

Mindfulness:

• What is Mindfulness? By Jon Kabat-Zinn.

• 60 Minutes Mindfulness Episode Correspondent Anderson Cooper investigates the benefits of practicing mindfulness techniques on the brain and body.
• Phil Jackson on mindfulness training of his NBA championship Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers teams.
• Stephanie "Steph" Davis on fear. She is one of the world's leading female rock climbers, BASE jumper, and wingsuit flyer who talks about her inside game and fear.
• Corporations’ Newest Productivity Hack: Meditation by Joe Pinsker

Lenny Bassham:

• How to eliminate fear forever and deal with pressure in competition a short discussion by Lenny Bassham
• An hour interview: With Winning in Mind with Lanny Bassham by Brian Johnson

Additional perspectives about managing anxiety from the dance community:

• YouTube video: Overcoming Performance Anxiety & Stage Fright by Kathryn (Katy) Morgan, a former ballerina with the New York City Ballet.
• Dancecompreview.com article: DanceSport Competition Performance Anxiety by Egor Shalvarov.
• Sport Psychology for Competitive Dancers by Joel Minden.
• Dancemania.biz article: How to deal with nerves before a performance by Sophie.
• Ballroom Dance and Psychology is a unique slide presentation by Elise Jones
• Article in Sport Psychologist, Performance Enhancement for Ballroom Dancers: Psychological Perspectives by Patsy Tremayne and Debra A. Ballinger