In Step With DC
On the Hunt For the Perfect Costume
Written by Erin Sforza on October 22, 2019

Recital may seem really far away right now, but our teachers and staff are already preparing for June in a big way. A couple of weeks ago our teachers met to finalize the songs for each class and begin selecting possible costumes, and we are also working on our “Who’s in What Recital” listing that will come out in a couple of weeks!

The next step was this past weekend when our teachers headed out to Edison, New Jersey for the United Dance Merchants of America (or UDMA) Convention and Exhibition. Our teachers met up in the Dance Connection parking lot incredibly early to make sure that they made it out to the convention for its 9:00am opening. Armed with coffee, snacks, music, and their social media accounts they were off to the show!

The UDMA conference allows our teachers to see their costume selections up close and in person to check for fit, material quality, and to see if they are true to size. Many times there are costume models who will try on each costume, but our teachers have definitely tried costumes on themselves in past years as well! Getting the opportunity to talk to our costume vendors directly and see everything up close helps our teachers to choose the best option for each of their classes and gives them the opportunity to network with others in the industry too!

Each costume is evaluated in several different categories and those ratings are entered into an app developed by Mr. Joe specifically for cataloging costumes. The data is transferred to spreadsheets that will eventually become our costume sheets that are handed out during measurement week.

After hours of visiting each vendor and viewing each costume, the teachers headed out to dinner together before they made the long drive home (with more coffee and snacks!). It’s always a long, hectic day but it is also a great bonding experience for our teachers. We are so lucky to have such dedicated staff that go above and beyond to make sure that our recital costumes are the best possible fit and value!

Erin Sforza

Erin is the Public Relations Coordinator for Dance Connection. She studied dance from childhood through college and continues to be an active member of the Long Island theatre community. Erin received a BA in both Musical Theatre Performance and History from the University of Tampa, and has utilized aspects of both degrees working in the hospitality industry, as an Event Coordinator for the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, and as the PR/Marketing Coordinator and Group Sales Coordinator for the CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale. In addition to being a part of the Dance Connection staff, she is a Travel Consultant affiliated with MouseEarVacations.com and CruisingCo.com.

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