"Do I have to tan?"
Newbies ask this a lot, either before (yay!) or after (unfortunately) their first ballroom dance competition.
The short answer is yes.
The long short answer is "because you have to".
But the longer answer is pretty long, 767 words to be exact, but there's SCIENCE involved, so the answer'll be good and science-y.
HERE WE GO:
The average competition floor is lit with overhead lights on rigs suspended overhead, as well as several fixtures on the floor. Light is coming at your person from allllll angles.
So, Peter Pan, you have no shadow.
The lack of shadow will flatten out your sic abs, biceps, calves, and face. And I mean "flatten out" as in "show lack of dimension", not "prove I haven't eaten cake in six months".
No one worries about lacking dimension on their face, because no one really questions the need for stage makeup on their faces, right? (I'm side-eyeing so many of you boys right now.) One wants to flaunt their sassy winks and air kisses with some eyeshadow and lipstick, not to mention some Kardashian-like heavy contouring.
SO WHY ARE YOU IGNORING THE REST OF YOUR BODY?
We generally know makeup, especially on a stage or well-lit floor, will make your features pop (ie, exist) from where the audience or judges see you.
Those naked, pale legs and back of yours need a little assist as well.
SCIENCE HO!
Here comes some light color theory!
Different light sources emit different color tones.
The sun produces a white light, incorporating colors across the spectrum. Under it, colors look bright and lively and true to life.
That golden hour that all the Instagrammers gush about? It's a sweet yellow light that camouflages greens and blues (yes, you under-eye circles) and gives you a great glowing glow.
Candlelight registers as a warming orange, making your skin tone look even and eliminating blue tones while making reds pop (that dress, or that zit).
Now stage lights produce heavily blue tones, AKA winter hues. Ye who live the Midwest know that is... not our best time of year. Blues look bluer, greens look sicker, and white looks blue. Pink, unfortunately looks "grey and dead".
Combined with the lack of shadows, you are now a dancing piece of grey paper, void of any muscle definition and depth, save for your perfectly made up face. In a realm where you're often being judged on perceived vigor, this is not good.
If you are doing Standard and have a dress that mostly covers your limbs and back, this might not be a problem.
If you are doing Latin, Rhythm, or Smooth, you must deal with this.
Now the awesome lighting techs at ballroom dance competitions are doing their best to make everyone look amazing. They want your dress and all its rhinestones to sparkle and wow, your makeup to look glamorous and perfect after 7 rounds, and your hair to shine like the top of the Empire State Building, but THEY CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. They will add some lovely Ambers and Violets to their LED light panels (or if they're old school, they'll throw some gels on their can lights), but let's help them out.
WHAT TO DO:
- Get a tan. It doesn't have to be make you a different race, but it does have to cover up the blue/pink tones in your skin.
Your tan will reflect a more pleasing, alive-looking color to the human (and even the judges') eye, and that reflected light will also return and often enhance any muscle definition you have (including cleavage!).
Do a test patch. Products with DHA might give a green or orange tinge to your tan if your body has a slightly elevated (alkaline) pH level. (Fun fact: semi-permanent lipsticks and makeup might not stick to you either!)
It might look orange. to you. in daylight. But you might be over-reacting to your very decent fake tan, so buck up.
Read this great article from SK Dancesport on the pros and cons of some of the different products available or their one on their favorite way to tan.
I also like this tanning stuff.
- Don't use WHITE eyeshadow as your highlight color.
THIS HAS BOTHERED ME FOR YEARS, YOU GUYS. I always wondered why so many girls seemed to wearing blue eyeshadow like it was the '60s. The color under your brows (and inner corner of your eye) should be yellow-ish. Creamy. I like this one.
It's a short list.
Here's a longer one: Play the Game.
You know why.
Sources:
https://www.ald.org.uk/blog/203395/lighting-skin-tones-in-theatre
https://www.iar.unicamp.br/lab/luz/ld/Diversos/maquiagem/Lights28.pdf
http://www.usailighting.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/1/54341a94e6953fb3afa22ed6800823de/misc/differentlightcolorsaffectskinandmakeup_xovain.pdf
