Dance wardrobe project: Intro

I admit it. I am Dance Mad. Always have been, always will. For the past 7 yrs Argentinian tango has lit my life. A few years ago I started learning salsa too, just for the sheer fun of all those turns and spins. After all that tango, I can usually find something decent to wear in my wardrobe for the monthly Milonga, though there is certainly room for improvement. However, salsa is a different story. My salsa wardrobe is ... well, non-existent, really.

Thus, I am doing a Dance Wardrobe Project.

So, what do I want out of it? What does a dance outfit require? It needs to:

• highlight the dancer's movement in an attractive way
• not restrict movement
• not have the dancer worrying about the clothes undoing/flying open/buttons popping/cleavage falling out
• looks good when soaked in sweat (hey I know, such an icky subject, but oh such an unavoidable reality)
• not show the world the colour of the dancer's undies (ok, so call me old-fashioned, I don't care!)

What do I need in a dance wardrobe?

• plenty of variety (one salsa social dance a month, one milonga a month, at least)
• things that look good on me
• garments that are easy to clean and store
• outfits that don't require thought or fuss to pull together before I go out.
• all the clothes looking good with all my dance shoes and hair accessories
• preferably clothes will also work well at tango practicas and salsa lessons (though most streetwear is fine for these)

Heh... clothes that highlight the dance movements flatteringly, don't restrict movement, don't reveal too much. Right. A huge ask! These needs manifest differently in each style of dance.

Salsa tends to have a lot of turning, spinning, the arms are raised over the head frequently - as well as the obvious articulation of rib-cage and hips. Because it is partner dancing, the woman often facing the partner, the back and side detailing of the clothes is at least as important as the front detailing.
Here is a gratuitous vid of salsa dancing a vid to show what I mean.

Watch Salsa videos and dance lessons at DanceJam.com

Hmmm, if that doesn't work out, go check it out at the website while I try to work out how to embed videos here.And here is another lovely salsa video, just for good measure.

Tango has noticeably different requirements. There is more focus on leg movements (though they aren't considered polite when on a crowded dance floor - taking out a fellow dancer with a giant gancho just isn't cricket, you know!) The dancer is facing her partner most of the time, so back detail is important, so is side detail. So many dresses that would otherwise be perfect for tango, have eyecatching detail on the front and plain, boring backs. Such a shame.). Arm movements are minimal. And because there are no quick spins, the risk of the undies on show is a lot less than in salsa.

For your delectation here are some gorgeous tango vids. A bit of soul candy. This first one reminds me of Dance Week's "streets of dance", organised by Ausdance NT a few years back, where dancers seemingly at random started dancing in cafes and on sidewalks. I and my partner were "random" tango dancers :-) The expressions on the chance audience's faces were magical!

Tango Argentino - The most popular videos are here

And another, further away, but gives a different view of tango.

3of5: Argentine Tango Steps and Tango Music: Buenos Aires, Argen - Watch more amazing videos here



Next post is The Game Plan (finishing up on this one mainly because I want to post this and go get some dinner and see if those videos were embedded properly). Oh, and the next salsa social is tomorrow and I have to get sewing...