Month: February 2018

Costume Tips for Inexperienced Dancers

The right costume can completely make or break a dance performance. If you’re new to dancing and competing, you might not even know where to begin when finding the right costume. There’s a lot to keep in mind to make sure you’ve chosen the right style for you and your routine. You won’t know what costume you really like until you try different things, but there are some tips you can follow if you need guidance selecting your first costume. Here are costume tips for inexperienced dancers!

Image via Unsplash

 

Focus on quality

First of all, it’s important to realize that not all dance costumes are created equal. Just as there’s a range of styles, there’s a range of price points and materials. That’s not to say that you have to go all out and break the bank to find the right dance costume, but it does mean paying attention to quality. You want something you know you can trust. Flimsy, poorly made costumes are more likely to malfunction which is the last thing you want to happen on stage in front of judges. Remember, a high-quality dance costume will last you years while a poorly made one might not even make it through one competition.

Browse different styles

If you’ve never danced competitively before, you might not even be aware of the different style options available to you. There are always new trends in the dance costume world, and it’s important to keep them in mind when choosing your next costume. To get familiar with different styles and see what speaks to you most, check out the latest catalog from Alexandra Costumes. Once you get a feel for the outfit style you like most, consider the following things to find the right choice:

 

Consider your music choice

Your dance costume should feel appropriate for the music. While you don’t have to take this too literally, consider how your costume will complement the music and vice versa. Your music and your costume should go hand in hand as equals.

 

Keep the attention on the dancer

While it’s always fun to experiment with new styles, be sure to keep things reasonable. Having a flashy dance costume might seem like a good way to get the judges attention, it might take away from your performance. The emphasis should always be on the movements and the dance itself. What you’re wearing shouldn’t take away from the performance in any way.

 

Don’t forget accessories

It’s easy to overlook the power of accessories when planning your dance costume. Accessories can transform your dance costume and add another element when done properly. Once again, less is more, but don’t discount the power of accessories to perfect your dance costume. You can accessorize with unique tights, gloves, skirts, or even more funky choices.

Image via Pexels

When in doubt, go custom

Sometimes you’ve looked everywhere and tried everything but you just can’t find what you’re looking for. That’s when it’s time to get creative. You can mix and match costumes to suit your look or opt for a custom option. MoveU custom cheerleading uniforms are perfect for teams with a specific appearance in mind, and the group uniforms really bring the team together during a competition. Custom costumes give you the freedom to really express yourself!

Prevent malfunctions

Even the most experienced dancers have wardrobe malfunctions. The best way to prevent these is simply to be prepared. If you’re a new dancer, there are steps you can take to ensure you don’t have any issues with your costume during a performance. To prevent malfunctions, follow the tips below.

 

Always try your costume on

Never wait until the last minute to try your costume on. Try and test your costume several times before a performance. If you notice the costume doesn’t fit perfectly, make adjustments while you still can. Things to look out for are falling shoulders, gaps in fabric, and too-tight sizes.

 

Secure your outfit when necessary

Even if your costume fits perfectly, sometimes you’ll need to take extra measures to ensure it stays secure. While you use pins in your hair, you can also use them on your wardrobe. Safety pins can help secure loose straps or skirts to your costume so you don’t have to worry about them. Body tape and even hairspray can secure fabric to your skin so you don’t risk exposure! It’s better to be overly prepared when it comes to these things.

Make the most of your dance costume!

Dancing is a great way to express yourself, and your costume will help boost your confidence. When choosing the right costume as an inexperienced dancer, keep the things above in mind. As long as your costume fits right and makes you feel good, you’ll be ready to wow the judges!

Gardeners, Pay Attention – Neglect of Tree Pruning Task May Prove Costly Later On

Tree pruning is a job to which home gardeners rarely give any attention until some mishap occurs or neglect has resulted in serious damage.

With trees the most valuable asset of the garden such indifference is inexcusable. It may involve a considerable expenditure which could easily have been avoided.

Why It Is Important

In order for the relationship between human and trees to coexist smoothly, tree pruning is necessary. It is also a part of taking care of a tree so that the tree will be healthy and achieve its optimum yield.

Basically, you don’t go about pruning your tree just because you feel like you want to do it. Many experts believe there’s a right time to prune a tree.

Such practice includes cutting of dead branches or overgrown branches that cause risks to human lives. It is also a good way to beautify your garden, as you will be able to shape or direct the growth of a tree.

Newly planted trees needed special attention to make them grow into what the gardener visualized when they were set out. This applies particularly to the smaller sizes chosen primarily for their low cost. With the dormant season a good time for pruning, it behooves the gardener to spend at least a few minutes in studying their development.

The most important decision to be made concerns the height of the trunk from the soil level to the lowest limb. As a rule, eight feet is the minimum branching height but, depending on the kind of tree, it could be several feet more. Eventually, all branches below that height must be removed. They are removed over a period of years, beginning with the lowest one.

Read also: 5 Most Popular Ideas To Decorate A Garden Window

Crown Development

Once the desired trunk height has been achieved, the crown development becomes very important.

Unless the ultimate goal is a rather tall tree, the reader may have to be removed after enough branches have formed to provide a good round crown in which the branches radiating from the center are well spaced so that none interferes with any other. The branches also must stand well apart on the trunk to give them strength.

Furthermore, most trees are improved if the side branches are cut back to a third of their length when they measure five to six feet in height. This encourages the development of secondary branches, which not only give the crown increased density but distribute the weight and strain more evenly.

Some trees endure severe topping quite well, among them the buttonwoods, Carolina poplar, some maples and certain willows. Municipal trees in small parks often are treated that way to make them conform to the allotted space, but it robs them of their natural grace. This invariably should be followed by severe thinning of the many shoots that emerge near each cut.

Reveals Faults

Established trees should be put under close scrutiny after the leaves have fallen. At that time the branch skeleton stands out clearly against the sky and reveals faults that have developed.

Some trees are inclined to develop a great many slender branches, among them the sugar maple. Early reduction to half of their number, or even less, increase the spacing and forces the food into the remaining ones, with the result that they gain in girth and provide a better basis for a strong and attractive tree. If this is done while the tree is still relatively young, virtually no disturbance is caused to the balance between roots and top.