Dear Daisy,
Can you give me some pointers on choosing the best colour to wear for an event? Should I just wear colours that look good on me? Or is there a better way to choose colours for a performance?
– Ms. Colourful
Dear Ms. Colourful,
Choosing the best colour costume to wear can be a challenge. There are a few things you need to take into consideration. Let’s look at some of them and how they can affect your final choice of colours.
Where are you dancing and what kind of lighting will you have?
Is it indoors, outdoors, an intimate party, a restaurant, on a big stage? Will it be bright sunshine, dim mood lighting, full spotlights?
Knowing where you are dancing can give you some ideas on what colours will look best. Often light and pastel shades look better outside in the sun than inside under harsh florescent lights, where darker more dramatic colours look better under the bright lights of a full stage. Bright colours look good almost anywhere but if the lighting will be very poor you might want to consider something both bright and shiny that will reflect extra light and help people to see you dance.
What style of dance are you doing and do you have a strong point you’d like to accent or a weakness you’d like to minimize?
Lots of styles of dance have traditional colours attached to them however many styles leave the choice of colour up to the individual dancer. If you are looking at accenting or minimizing something a good rule to follow is this: “If you do not want someone to see something dress it in black.” Unless you have a coloured backdrop or very good lighting chances are your audience will have trouble seeing and following anything in black. This applies as well to your body as it does to gloved hands or black shoes. The reverse is true if you want something to stand out. Make it bright and colourful, so either leave your skin bare (under stage lights this will look white) or choose a bright colour that will stand out against whatever backdrop you are dancing in front of.
Although dark and rich colours suggest drama, and light, bright, or pastel colours suggest happiness and joy you do not have to use black to make a statement. Rich purple, royal blue, or blood red can work just as well to set a dramatic mood and often show up better both on and off stage. This is not to say do not wear black, as long as you remember that it is hard to see it can make a good backdrop for embellishments or can help to minimize something you would like people not to notice.
So think about where you will dance and what look you are hoping to offer your audience and I am sure you will come up with some new exciting combinations that your audience will enjoy.
– Daisy
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