I'm very much getting into the concept of dressing to suit the dance, rather than the standard "black test dress". I feel that at the higher levels the costume should reflect the character of your dance.

Okay, so my next test will be the Kilian. Fun, bouncy, Irish influence (? not sure about that), FAST dance. I know a lot of the girls competing in dance leave their hair down.

My hair is blonde, very curly, just above the shoulders. I usually put it up in a bun for practice.

Any creative thoughts for my test? I could do the bun, high or low. I could just pull the very top back in a scrunchie or barrette & leave the rest down, or I could do the top in rows of those little twists that get caught w/ tiny clips, w/ the rest down. Any other ideas?

Well if its a nice fun bouncy Dance then i suggest a bright coloured dress or maybe like an irsh kilt dress with lots of differnt colured ribbons in your hair?

I like the twists idea, how about twisted rows back into a bun and leaving the rest of the hair down?

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beks~
"winning isn't everything... wanting to is."

" the only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary"

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Hmmmm, Never thought of that.

Hair half down if it stays out of the way is nice for dance tests (used to do that but it's getting too long now and tends to get caught on partner or pulled in changes of position - which aren't a worry in Kilian).

Watch for hairstyles that are too bouncy for dance. You want your dance (even a kilian) to look as smooth and controlled as possible. Most coaches at my rink ban their kids from skating in ponytails because they tends to bounce and swing around with any little wobble you make and can actually take asway from the dance.

Make sure to try out anything you do ahead of time. My partner got a face-full of my hair on my kilian test thanks to this sharp head movement on one of the long outside edges that my coach had added in for style.

put it in a high pony tail. it looks so cute with curls

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Actually, and I could have this wrong but I don't think so, the Kilian is derived from the polka, which is German. I'm probably going to be competing Kilian this summer, so this is something that's been on my mind too. Too bad it's not Irish- I'm a redhead, it would be perfect! Anyway, I'm leaning toward a French braid. Pigtails would be cute, but a little too much I think. I also have naturally curly hair, but I usually straighten it with the straightening iron every few days.

I agree with you that at the higher levels having a dress that reflects the dance is appropriate. I think it's a bit much when the beginners do it, but most of the girls in my area do that starting around Silver or Pre-Gold. I'll be wearing my Tango competition dress to test my Tango in three weeks. (probably against four weeks after that- oops, there I go with negative thinking again ) Anyway, I'll be interested in hearing what you decide. I'll have to start sketches for my Kilian dress soon, because if I skate Novice and Junior this summer I could need as many as four new dresses. My dressmaker, a.k.a. mom, is going to have to start early!

Edited to add, a lot of the girls I know leave their hair down for dance, but I can't stand to do that! It gets in my face all the time. Half up I can handle when my hair's short. I found out the hard way last year that Paso Doble with my hair long and only half up is a recipe for disaster- and that's just soloing! Getting an early start figuring out hairstyle is probably a good idea. You'll have plenty of time to experiment and find out what works and what doesn't. Good luck with your Kilian, BTW. I learned it awhile ago, and I don't like it much at all. But I'll hopefully be on my Pre-Golds by spring, so I'm making myself work on it at least three or four days a week.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

How about a spiky bun?
They look good and your hair dosn't fly in your face.

And pigtails are banned at your club.....?

Mum says nice tight bun, thats what I tested it with. Do the bun synchro style. It helps because the judges aren't distracted, and neither are you. and for the dress, I just wear a nice simple dress, that's not too plain, but isn't cluttered. For the Kilian, it helps to look up when you test.

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Lisa
I need a partner!!
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How do you make a spikey bun?

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do you have a dance partner CanAmSk8er, is that why you would be competing the kilian in the summer?

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Nope, I'll be competing in solo dance at the Lake Placid competition. I'll definitely be competing Novice, and maybe Junior too. Novice will be Kilian and either American or Silver Tango.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!