The Perfect Dancers Gift
Dancers have it all, beautiful dresses, amazing ballroom dance shoes, and a glamorous life filled with dancing! With that being said, us competitive dancers can be pretty hard to shop for! What else do we really need other than our costumes and shoes?
Well the most popular trends for gift giving, whether it’s birthdays, Holidays, or Valentines day is customized gifts. There are some incredible artists who make this process seamless. All you do is provide a picture of you or your dancer and they paint an amazing picture to hang on your wall!
Jill Ciccone Art is based out of Raleigh North Carolina but ships all over in the US (shipping cost depends on canvas size). She does incredible portraits and custom work for dancers, families, and even pets! She mainly uses oil paints and has been painting full time for about 10 years.
To view some of Jill’s current work for sale view her portfolio.
Custom portrait artist Raleigh NC
Jean Beraud
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Ballroom Dance in Ed Sheeran’s Amazing new Music Video
Brittany Cherry from So You Think You Can Dance turns up the heat in Ed Sheeran’s music video. Indeed she is a well known dancer in the community but who knew Ed had the moves as well? The song is called thinking out loud and it is a full on performance by these two. Ed is a singer/songwriter known for “The A-Team” makes us feel like we are watching the tv show Dancing With the Stars. When all reality the entire performance in “Thinking Out Loud,” was choreographed by Emmy winning dancers from So You Think You Can Dance: Tabitha & Napoleon D’umo, aka “Nappytabs.”
Ed even proudly tweeted ” I’ve learned to dance” we would have to agree with that statement. After practicing for over 40 hours, I think he has learned the language of ballroom dance. Of course he also looks very fit now, he shed about 35 pounds in the process! So we can only hope more music artists follow his lead and do a little jig for us in the future. For now, we are proud of you Mr. Sheeran!
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Dancing With the Stars Season 17 News
Let’s start by saying GO SNOOKI! She looked absolutely amazing and I could barely recognize her (she has lost some serious weight). She was glowing on the dance floor with high energy the entire time as she danced the Cha Cha Cha with Sasha Farber – there was even a first pump! We love seeing dance change people and that is why this season of Dancing with the stars is so touching. We have the nostalgia of seeing Bill Nye The Science Guy, the resilient beauty of Snooki and of course the most touching story of them all Valarie Harper. Valerie Harper is currently battling terminal cancer, she was so full of energy dancing the Foxtrot with Tristan MacManus. Of course she got a well deserved standing ovation before they even started the music! “It’s good to be alive and it’s better to be dancing!” Valerie said with glee after their dance. Bruno started: “How can you criticize a national treasure? You are an inspiration to the nation! You’ve got nothing to fear. You’re light on your feet. I’m so happy you’re here.” Carrie Ann was brought to tears while you could see the emotions sweep the entire room.
Why is Valerie Harper such an inspiration to all of us? Because she teaches us that a diagnosis does not determine our fate. She teaches us that perspective is reality and we create our own reality. When I think of someone who is terminally ill, I think of hospital beds, medications, and sadness. I do not think about glistening ballroom dresses, leaps into the air, and congo drums. Valerie Harper wants to LIVE… and she showed us that through her performance. Dance heals. Dance inspires. Dance revives!
Sponsored by: SHOWTIME DANCE SHOES
Ballroom Dance Shoes: www.showtimedanceshoes.com
- Published in Balloom Dance, Ballroom Dance Blog, Ballroom Dance Shoes, Ballroom Dancers, Uncategorized
Ballroom Dance Olympics
There is a large increase in Ballroom Dancing for teens and college students around the world. Much of this increased interest is focused on DanceSport, the competitive version of ballroom dancing. DanceSport has competitions annually from city to city around the world. This is attributed to the recognition of USA Dance as the National Governing Body of DanceSport in the U.S. by the USOC, and the recognition of the World DanceSport Federation as the International Governing Body of DanceSport by the IOC.
USA Dance and its international body, the World DanceSport Federation, are working in concert to increase the interest and access to DanceSport events all over the world. Such programs as Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and other dance-related programs also help to keep ballroom dancing and DanceSport in the public eye both in the U.S. and abroad. The first unofficial world championship took place in 1909, and the first formation team was presented in 1932 by Olive Ripman at the Astoria Ballroom, London. Dancesport was first broadcasted on TV in 1960. Now in 2013 Competitive dance is an industry that continues to grow as dancers keep reaching new levels of fitness as they break into new styles.
- Published in Balloom Dance, Ballroom Dance Blog, Ballroom Dance Shoes, Ballroom Dancers, Dance, Uncategorized
FREE DANCE SHOES
Showtime Dance Shoes will be giving away a free pair of shoes valued up to $250.00! The only thing you have to do is share their post and like them on Facebook! What post do you have to share? This one… https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=518734524848106&set=a.518734514848107.1073741830.173042342750661&type=1&theater
So don’t wait!
Celebrate Summer Sparkle with a free pair of dance shoes from Showtime. 2013 has been a great year and our customers have been fantastic, so we decided to start giving back. This is the first of many new promotions that will be taking place this Summer. We are known for having high quality shoes on the feet of high quality dancers. Practice makes perfect and we keep perfecting our styles and brands. Stay tuned for our very own Showtime brand that will be releasing in just a few months!
Thanks again for the continued support through the years… now go to our Facebook page and like us for a chance to win some shiny new shoes!
- Published in Balloom Dance, Ballroom Dance Blog, Ballroom Dance Shoes, Ballroom Dancers, Dance, Uncategorized
Is Dance a Sport?
There have been so many debates about what should be considered as a sport. When it comes down to the infamous debate… I want to know, what are the criteria for a game or activity to be considered a sport? According to dictionary.com, the definition of a sport is a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Most sports involve some sort of hand/eye coordination, exercise and a good mental attitude or motivation for what athletes are doing.
There are many reasons why dance could and should be considered a sport. I certainly know a lot of dancers who are athletic, competitive, and exhibit an extraordinary amount of skill. The precision of a dancer is just as impressive as those who are gymnasts or skaters in the Olympics.
“Dancing should be a sport because dancers have to work out and practice a lot just like you do in any other sport,” sophomore Abi Albro said. “They work on their technique and need strength for it. They sweat just as much as any other sport does.”
First, professional dancers require vigorous exercise to keep in shape. Secondly, dancers must be abnormally flexible… We all know that the more muscle you acquire, the harder it is to do a split. Yet dancers have some of the most muscular bodies with legs that bulk and abs that make us cry with envy. Dancers have to practice hard and very often, just like any other athlete in sports. Not only that but they have to memorize very difficult routines. In addition to all of these reasons why we think dancers are athletes, I have to add that dancers must maintain a healthy mental attitude and be able to keep going if they mess up in front of thousands.
www.showtimedanceshoes.com
- Published in Balloom Dance, Ballroom Dance Blog, Ballroom Dance Shoes, Dance
Showtime Dance Shoes Summer Sparkle 2013
Ballroom dance is about confidence and flare… well nothing says confidence more than a beautiful sparkeling pair of Ballroom Dance Shoes! Dancers know that comfort and quality rise above looks; at Showtime Dance Shoes we provide our dance studios with the top brands to chose from.
We give dancers all over the world the top of the line dance shoes and this year we have some styles that match perfectly with the 2013 Summer ballroom dance trends.
Summer Sparkle is about the dancers, it’s about their shining moment and their unique style. Showtime Dance Shoes understands that without the dancers, this industry would be non-existant. It’s time to give the dancers some Summer Sparkle.
- Published in Balloom Dance, Ballroom Dance Blog, Ballroom Dancers
Ballroom Dance 2013 Styles and Trends
To most people Ballroom Dance is what you get when watching B list celebrities compete on “Dancing with the stars.” Those of us who know a little more about the behind scenes pressure, know that the hair, dress, and fabulous ballroom shoes are only a fraction of the big picture. This form of dance is precise and constantly evolving. As choreographers mend the traditional ballroom moves into the more modern international latin style dances.
The definition of ballroom dance also depends on the era: balls have featured popular dances of the day such as the Minuet, Quadrille, Polonaise, Polka, Mazurka, and others, which are now considered “historical” but there are influences of the styles have have stayed around.
Due to the many different styles of ballroom dance, there are also tons of custom dresses and shoes that dancers get to chose from. Showtime Dance Shoes is known world wide for their wide selection of Dance Shoes. FB International is an incredible company that provides custom dresses for their ballroom clients. https://www.fbinternationaldance.com/
- Published in Balloom Dance, Ballroom Dance Blog, Ballroom Dance Shoes, Ballroom Dancers, Uncategorized