Ballroom Dance Costumes

Ballroom Dance Overview

There are a wide variety of dances that are considered part of modern ballroom dancing, and the dances that might be involved in a particular competition can vary depending on the organization that is sponsoring the event.

Some of the many dances that are found under the umbrella of ballroom dance may include:

• Slow waltz
• Tango
• Viennese waltz
• Slow foxtrot
• Quickstep
• Cha-cha
• Samba
• Rumba
• Paso Doble
• Jive
• East Coast Swing
• Mambo
• Foxtrot

Other styles of ballroom dance include vintage and nightclub dances, such as the polka, hustle, lindy hop and two-step. Country, Cajun and Latin dancing include yet more possibilities.

The folks on "Dancing with the Stars" have to master the cha-cha, foxtrot, jive, mambo, paso doble, quickstep, rumba, samba, tango, slow waltz and Viennese waltz, and these are the most common dances found in the various international competitive ballroom dancing worlds.

About Ballroom Dancing Costumes

The most important thing when it comes to choosing a ballroom dance costume is that the dancer be able to move around comfortably in the outfit. Some dances do not require as much freedom of movement, but when you get into the fast and fancy dances, you'll want to be able to move any way you need to.

Men typically still wear some version of a suit for ballroom dancing. A jacket and tie are not always included, but men who want to look dapper as they turn their ladies on the floor will often wear a full suit or even a tuxedo. Men can also wear a shirt with a vest instead of a jacket.

The colors of men's and women's outfits for dancing usually coordinate in some way. If the woman is wearing a light blue dress, for instance, the man might wear a blue vest, tie or even shirt.

Women's ballroom dance costumes are often very elaborate, matching the attitude of the dance. For a waltz, for instance, a woman might wear a sweeping ball gown that flows to the floor, while the same woman would wear a short skirt covered with sequins to dance a Latin dance.

Picking the perfect costume is all a matter of attitude – your own as well as the mood of the music you are dancing to and the style of the dance. It can take some time to find the perfect dance costume, but there are many resources available to help.

Finding Ballroom Dance Costumes

Unless you have a thriving dance community where you live that is big enough to support a dance costume shop, your best bet for finding costumes will probably be online.

There are many, many companies selling dance costumes of every stripe online, so you are sure to be able to find what you need no matter what kind of dancing you want to do. Here are a few options to check out:

• Latin Dance Fashions has super sexy (but also functional) costumes and shoes for men and women.
• Dance Sport Ballgowns specializes in dresses and men's costumes for competitions. You can also find used costumes here, which can save you some money.
• Randall Designs is the company behind the awesome costumes on "Dancing with the Stars." The company also offers ready-to-wear dance costumes without the celebrity price tags.
• Art Rhythms has new and used costumes in various styles.

If all else fails you can also get a gown made for you. If there is not a local seamstress who has experience with such projects where you live, there are people online (such as Dance Sport Ballgowns, above) who will take your measurements and make a custom gown to your liking.

This probably isn't a good option for a casual dancer or someone just getting into competition, but if you know that you're going to be dancing for life, getting the perfect ballroom dance costume made is a wonderful extravagance.