Growing up in Glitz and Glam

I grew up in the world of competitive dance. Think Dance Moms. Keep the long rehearsals, weekends traveling out of town, and glam costumes. Subtract the crazy drama (…most of it anyway).

I became a member of the competitive dance team at my local studio when I was six years old. My older sister was already a member and it made perfect sense for me to join her. For twelve years, I spent countless hours in the studio, training and perfecting my dance technique and performance, and traveling all over the country for competitions.

This time of my youth lead to me becoming a professional dancer. It also greatly impacted my sense of fashion. One does not surround themselves with THAT much glitz and glam for THAT long and not have a slight gravitational pull to all things sparkly.

And my dance costumes were the stuff of little girls’ dreams. Each piece was custom crafted and hand-rhinestoned with Swarovski crystals for the ultimate shine. For group pieces where I was dancing with the rest of the team, my teacher designed the costumes. For my solos, however, I got to have a large say in what I wore. I got to help envision and create a piece that embodied the song and style of my piece and suited me perfectly. A DREAM.

These solo costumes ranged from bright blues to stark whites, from detailed pleating to simple flowy fabric. However, they always were COVERED in Swarovski crystals. This included my final solo costume, the piece I wore my Senior year of High School. The jet-black two piece look was dripping with sparkle and crystals. It felt so elegant, so special. And gave me confidence every time I took the stage.

So yes I still have a deep love for the sparkly and shiny. And the glitz gives me confidence even off the stage as well. More than that, though, creating those costumes allowed me to explore my creativity in fashion. It gave me the opportunity to wear outfits that empowered my self-expression and self-confidence.