Arts & Culture Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 25) stuff! Great ballroom gowns both camouflage and accentuate, for the goal is to make a dancer look glAMorous orous AMAZINg. Ballroom fashion is oNlINE VIDEo time, appearance rules. The most elegant dancer in the world might perform, but if her ‘look’ doesn’t catch the eye, her dancing may never be noticed. Judges expect each dancer to find her own style. Sarasota’s Beverly Marsh leans to a classy, elegant, semisexy look. An experienced Gold Level dancer, she originally wore black. Beverly opened her mind to color after judges said they could not find her on the crowded floor. Now she wears a cornucopia of colors: brilliant reds, yellows, blues, purples, pinks, and an occasional glitzy noir. For some years, Beverly had bought her dresses from Maria McGill, a fabulous custom ballroom designer who owns Designs To Shine in Pinellas Park. Maria carries a small collection of magical gowns. However, most of her gowns are custom made for distinctive fashion and flawless fit. Maria’s gowns sell globally, mostly through trade magazines. Her shop is abuzz with workers, and she has seamstresses who do nothing but sew Swarovski crystals onto dresses. Some dresses are heavy with stoning, while others are merely sprinkled with sparkle. All are constructed over builtin body suits, to which the dancer adds only hosiery. Maria designed gowns for the first season of Dancing With The Stars, and is now costuming the new FOX television show, So You Think You Can Dance. She also creates outfits for ice skaters and Las Vegas show people. With Maria’s custom dresses, most clients walk out with ‘total looks’— meaning all embellishments have been Beverly Marsh knows that to dazzle on the dance floor, you need a stunning dress in addition to great moves. matched to the dress, including jewelry, headbands, gloves and more. Several companies design shoes for ballroom dancing. The shoes are usually flesh-colored, with heels 2 ½ or 3 ½ inches in height. Most ballroom dancers buy at least one new dress each year and sometimes sell it after a couple of seasons. Beverly Marsh goes to six or seven competitions annually, packing at least four dresses each time. Competitions run for several days, and Beverly wears those gowns while performing approximately 40 dances. Ballroom fashion is all about making a woman feel gorgeous, confident, and secure. Imagination and creative design make every gown a work of art. When a woman feels her look is perfect, she will be inspired to dance at the top of her game. www.artsandculturemag.com arts and culture magazine : : 25 http://www.artsandculturemag.com
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