While most of your focus in the run-up to dance events and competitions will naturally be on your technique, you also need to carefully consider the costumes you will wear to each one. In particular, it is worth spending some time thinking about the colors you are going to use when designing costumes for upcoming performances. Today, we are going to take an in-depth look at dance costume colors and present a method you can use to identify some winning combinations: beautiful color schemes that you can use to add an extra dash of excitement and sophistication to your future performances on the dance floor.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Color Combinations for Your Latin Dance Costumes

In our experience, the best way to choose colors and color schemes that will enhance your Latin dance routines is to focus on the following key factors. Each one will inform your choices and help to ensure your costumes always have the desired effect:

• Dance Style – Although there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to color combinations for certain styles of dance, there are colors that are traditionally more popular among performers of certain styles. When dancing the tango, for example, many performers like to wear a combination of red and black tones to convey the fiery passion traditionally associated with this dance. Even if there are no precedents to follow for the style of dance you will be performing at your next event, it's worth thinking about the moods and emotions the style most often evokes and looking for colors and color combinations that best express them or enhance your ability to express them. How adventurous and experimental you are when matching color schemes for Latin dance costumes to specific styles will depend largely on your character and appetite for risk. However, you should also allow the other factors in this list to help determine the right level of experimentation for each event you attend.

• Skin Tone – It may seem like an insignificant factor compared to the setting, style of dance, accompanying music, and personal preferences, but you should never forget to consider your skin tone when choosing color combinations for new Latin dance costumes. Some colors simply don't complement certain skin tones and in some cases, the wrong colors can make your skin tone look positively uninviting or even unhealthy. For this reason, we urge all dancers to factor their skin tone and that of their partners into every costume color decision they make. You will be able to avoid the worst mismatches simply by doing a little research and talking to other dancers, but experience will also be key. As you progress in your dance journey, you are sure to encounter certain costume colors that just don't work for you, and when you do, remember to make a note so they can be avoided in the future.

• Hair Color – In the same way your skin tone simply won't go well with certain hues or combinations of colors, your hair color may also clash with specific color schemes or parts thereof. For example, dancers with red hair are commonly advised to avoid pastel tones, oranges, yellows, and certain types of reds. Even if every other factor suggests choosing one or more of these colors, we recommend you don't if you happen to be a redhead. You will, of course, always have the option of changing your hair color if desired, so there are no colors that are completely out of bounds if you are willing to make changes to your appearance.

• Venue – The venues at which you dance, or more specifically, how they are decorated for the events, should always be factored into your color decisions when designing new dance costumes. If a venue chooses a particularly striking color scheme for a certain event, you will probably want to avoid colors that clash with this scheme if possible. On the other hand, if you enjoy making a splash and would like to draw attention to yourselves, a clashing color combination could be a bold choice that pays dividends in your next dance competition. Again, it is your risk appetite that will normally dictate how far you are prepared to go to make a style statement with your color choices.

• Nature of Event or Competition – Are you preparing to appear in a demonstration of Latin dance at an old folks' home? Or are you getting ready to enter a contemporary ballroom dance competition in a fashionable district of town? The type of events and competitions that you attend should inform your choice of costume colors to a certain extent. In addition to determining how adventurous you are, some events may call for specific color combinations or at least strongly suggest them. If, for instance, you're dancing at a 4th July celebration this year, tradition strongly suggests the colors red, white, and blue for obvious reasons. Whether you choose to follow the suggestion is entirely up to you, but you should have a very good reason for going another way if you decide to experiment instead.

• Personal Style – Last but certainly not least, you need to consider your style when picking colors for new Latin dance costumes. You might have the perfect skin tone and hair color for a specific combination of colors, but they just happen to be a bad fit for your self-image and personal sense of style. If this is the case, it is almost always a good idea to look for another color combination that's more in tune with your inner self. Trying to force yourself to wear colors with which you are uncomfortable rarely works out well and can be disastrous.

If, after carefully considering all of the above factors, you are still unable to settle on a color combination for your next Latin dance costume, feel free to explore Charismatico's site for ideas and inspiration. You are also welcome to contact us for personal assistance.