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USA Dance to adopt IDSF costume rules Login/Join
 
Championship
Registered:: 10-05-2000
Posts: 3146
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So it looks like USA Dance (nee' USABDA) is really going to adopt the IDSF costuming rules. These new rules are VERY restrictive when it comes to Pre-Teens (Juveniles) and Juniors, the IDSF document outlining these rules can be seen at http://www.idsf.net/dancesport_competitions/idsfdressregulations.pdf

On the one hand, it's nice to finally have some specific rules that organizers can point to when they are faced with the dreaded "is this a costume" question. On the other hand, I've grown tired of playing costume police and over the past year my stance has changed from "we have to enforce these rules to keep pre-teens and Junior girls from going around looking like cheap Las Vegas hookers" to "if the kid's parents want to allow their UNDER-14 year old daughter to run around looking like a cheap Las Vegas hooker, then that's their affair."

The way I saw it, there were two goals justifying having costume rules. The first was that by disallowing costumes on the younger set, the problem of the expense of fancy costumes for rapidly growing kids would be completely avoided. After all, everyone complains that competitive dancing is very expensive, so why not send the money on supportive dance shoes for rapidly growing feet and dance lessons for rapidly developing dancers.

The other justification was the whole issue of NOT sexualizing young children, especially young ladies under the age of 14. DanceSport didn't want to look like beauty pageant scene and didn't want any little Jon Benet Ramsay comparisons. I think that's a valid goal, but it's been such a complete pain to enforce that I'm really starting to not care anymore. Perhaps clear rules such as these will help, I'm willing to try it and see, but part of me just wants to not feel like I have to take responsibility for someone else's complete lack of taste and/or sense of what is appropriate for a kid to wear. (As a competition registrar, the costume questions come to me first, so I'm at the frontline of this debate in my community.)

Some highlights that are sure to really really really bother a LOT of people:

PRE-TEEN (Juvenile)
* dresses for Juveniles (pre-teens) must be completely plain: no boning, soft boning, fishing line, frills, metallic materials, color blocking, rhinestones, seqins (mysteriously misspelled "sequence" on the USA Dance draft I saw), feathers, flowers, bows, fringe, or lace appliques.

* no artificial hair, hair ornaments, colored hair spray, or hair glitter can be used

* no makeup, including artifical lashes, artificial nails, glitter, fake tan, and nail polish

* no jewellery

* boys must wear a tie for both Latin and Standard, and their shirts must be tucked in

* long hair on boys must be worn in a ponytail

* no makeup or jewellery on boys

JUNIOR I

* can have competition style dresses, but they can't have rhinestones, sequins, beads, pearls, feathers, metallic fabric, glitter fabric, or sequinned fabric. However, unlike with the pre-teens, they can have color blocking, lace, lace appliques, flowers, and fringe

* girls can't wear heels higher than 2"

* same hair and makeup rules as for pre-teens, which means no makeup and simple hair

* boys don't have to wear ties, but their shirts can only be black, midnight blue, or white and must have long sleeves (not rolled up) and must be tucked in. No makeup or jewelery on the boys, either, as in pre-teen.

Junior II can dress like adults, and if Junior I and Junior II are combined then the entrants can dress like adults.

I think the biggest issues that I can see people having right away is with the no jewelry on children, including nothing fancy in the hair such as rhinestoned bobby pins and hair clips. I see many little girls wearing makeup, too -- I'm seriously considering buying a tub of those Ponds makeup remover cloths that don't need water or rinsing to keep at the Registration table so that if any young ones turn up with makeup they can remove it quickly and easily and still be able to dance.

There's also going to be a set of diagrams that show the allowable cuts for the dresses and boys'/mens' shirts. I've seen the diagrams and they're quite clear and very appropriate for pre-teens. The most notable change I can see happening there is that pre-teen girls out there with backless dresses (and I've seen a few) will have to change their dress.
PreBronze
Registered:: 12-11-2002
Posts: 194
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Laura, thank you for the information.

I have dresses (Latin and standard) whose tops are in flesh tone, but covered completely with stones. I wonder if they will be regarded as violation of the rule. Does anybody know?



Championship
Registered:: 10-05-2000
Posts: 3146
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You should go read the complete rules at the URL I posted in the top of this page.

The bulk of the rules apply to Pre-Teens and Junior I dancers. If you are over the age of 13 then your flesh tone fabrics and rhinestones are allowed (subject to the diagram about what parts of the body must be covered on all dancers -- namely the panty area and the breasts).

If you are 13 and under flesh tone fabric is not allowed, and neither are rhinestones.
PreBronze
Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida
Registered:: 12-13-2001
Posts: 152
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I was asvised last week in Australia that the IDSF may well adjust its position on the dress code. At the moment, flesh colored material covered in stones is a definite breach.

Peter Pover



Silver
Registered:: 08-23-2003
Posts: 382
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quote:
I think the biggest issues that I can see people having right away is with the no jewelry on children, including nothing fancy in the hair such as rhinestoned bobby pins and hair clips. I see many little girls wearing makeup, too -- I'm seriously considering buying a tub of those Ponds makeup remover cloths that don't need water or rinsing to keep at the Registration table so that if any young ones turn up with makeup they can remove it quickly and easily and still be able to dance.


Have some alcohol swipes for those who claim their fake tan is "real" Swipe one over the skin then you can see if any color comes off or not
Silver
Registered:: 11-23-2001
Posts: 282
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The good thing about no makeup on pre-teen and junior I is that parents can save money on makeups and focus their financial more on dancing. Makeups are quite expensive, you know.



Gold
Location: penthouseton
Registered:: 07-29-2004
Posts: 526
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Carnival under 14 is over.
Championship
Registered:: 10-05-2000
Posts: 3146
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"Makeups are quite expensive, you know."

Not if they're using what mom has already got in her cosmetics bag...

I just get a creepy feeling when a 10 year old girl has on enough makeup to look 18. And it's not just in dancesport, either. I recall reading an article a few years ago in British Vogue or something about the latest modelling sensation. This lovely "English Rose" who everyone was oohing and ahhing over in the print and runway worlds was something really young like 12 or 13 but she was very tall for her age and they'd pile on the makeup and she'd look 22. It creeped me out to see her looking all gorgeous and even sexy and then realizing that she was 100% jail bait.



Championship
Registered:: 10-05-2000
Posts: 3146
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quote:
Originally posted by Peter Pover:
I was asvised last week in Australia that the IDSF may well adjust its position on the dress code.


Adjust it to be even stricter or to at least let the little kids have glitter and some hair jewelry?
Gold
Location: penthouseton
Registered:: 07-29-2004
Posts: 526
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Poor kids, they just are copy cats, or their mother did for them, the mother has the responsibility.



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