Barbie and Ken: Fun and Easy Ballroom Dance Costumes

Now your Barbie and Ken dolls can perform and compete with pride as they showcase hand made ballroom dance costumes designed especially for them. Barbie can glide with style in her gorgeous gowns and feather boas while she dances the foxtrot or waltz with her handsome partner, Ken. He can be dressed in a coordinating costume made to knock the socks off any panel of judges. Or, you can design Latin costumes with red roses and black flashy fabrics chosen to strike a fire, burn up the dance floor, and intimidate the other competitors as Barbie and Ken execute advanced tango, rumba or mambo routines. And, don?t forget the fun you can have with fringe and other embellishments as you design jive and swing dance costumes to highlight their tricky steps.

The possibilities are endless! Being able to design and sew your own ballroom dance costumes for Barbie and Ken will allow you to create anything you want, and here are some tips on how to do it:

1. Start with standard Barbie and Ken doll clothes patterns. You can purchase these in most fabric stores and on internet craft sites. Watch for pattern sales, and you might save some money. You probably won?t find actual ballroom dance doll patterns, but you can select some suitable for dresses, suits, or anything that you think will work with your costume ideas.

2. Decide on the style or theme of your costume. For example, when I decided to create a tango costume, I knew that I wanted Ken to have pants with a long sleeve shirt and a coordinating sash. As for Barbie, I wanted her to have a long dress with ruffles on the sleeves. Knowing a few specifics like these before you begin will help speed up the creative process and allow you to use your time more efficiently.

3. Think about the quality or type of fabrics, as well as the color. For the tango costume, I picked red and black fabrics in a variety of textures. Velour, nylon, and lycra are all great choices because they sew up easily, and they don?t shred on the edges like many other fabrics. In addition, they have excellent stretch factors. Costumes made with these materials are flexible and fit the dolls well.

4. Be prepared to modify your patterns. It will be most convenient if you can find a pattern that matches the style you have in mind. But for me, that rarely happens and I usually adjust the pattern to get what I am looking for. To do this, I purchase inexpensive muslin and experiment until I get the fit just right. Then I use paper to draw the final pattern so that I can use it again in the future.

5. Have fun with embellishments! How often do you get to use sequins, glamorous trims, colorful fringe, fluffy feathers, or bright, flashy fabrics that glow in the dark? Let imagination be your guide, and have fun as you make your selections.

6. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to create your own Barbie and Ken ballroom costumes as long as you are happy with the final product. Your unique designs will be the envy of many doll and dance enthusiasts. Don?t be afraid to experiment with colors and textures. Sometimes accidents happen along the way, and the unexpected style may actually be better than the original one. Good luck, enjoy, and let the dance begin!

Fran Matthews is a mom who enjoys crafts and cooking. For photos of this project, see www.bestdesignercrafts.com

The History of Ballroom Dancing

From tribal rituals, to the elite, carefully learned choreography, to High School education that actually involved learning and practicing ballroom dance, there is a deep historical meaning behind it. The historical significance of dancing is just as important as the art, architecture, and music of that era. Variations of classic historical ballroom dancing such as the Minuet, to the Polonaise, to the Quadrille, Pas de Gras, the Mazurka and many, many more are still very much alive in certain circles. From competitions to classes and pure dance-floor enjoyment, many people have kept many of these dances (these expressions of a specific era?s historical flavor) alive.

When you study the history of ballroom dancing, you learn more about the social customs of certain time periods in the past. Most social dancing is not choreographed, and has been so for some time ? but it was not always that way. There are many dances created to be executed to particular music with precise movement and timing. In ballroom dancing you will have a ?leader? who is, traditionally, the man and the ?follower? who (as logically would follow) is the woman.

Physical contact between the upper body and the lower body of the dancers in position will dictate the pre-choreographed steps. The leader guides the follower into each coming movement gracefully as the music plays. The choreography provides room for each couple to move about freely as the dance requires, and sometimes partners will revolve around the room. They then end up dancing with and winding between other dancers, exactly as the routine is designed. Performing such tasks, however difficult, with grace, seemingly automatic movements, and without hesitation was a virtue for both men and women. It was common to introduce yourself or engage in conversation while executing the routine with perfect timing and without missing a step.

In some ways I like the individuality that some people put into their social dancing ? I have seen some people draw some serious attention to themselves in the club scene. However, at the same time I firmly believe that it is absolutely unfortunate for our era to have lost the opportunity to experience custom of choreographed, studied forms of partner dancing. But you can dig up the fun and relive the different art forms of eras past which are lost to most people in the here and now. Sometimes the exercise you get from ballroom dancing is a real incentive to keep yourself in shape. Fun is motivation. In addition to the exercise, you learn more about other people and places in time, you get to feel the flush of an antique, elite, and elegant art form.

Since the earliest times recorded in history there have been significant dances and / or dance rituals involving thousands upon thousands of countries at a time. This tradition carried on throughout the centuries, across the widening boundaries of time, and is as endless to us as music has been across the ages. Nonetheless, it has become more and more relaxed and unconventional as a social practice for people all over the world. For example: Early in the 20th century, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers set the example for widely popular ballroom dancing all over America. So it has not been that long, and in some places the heart of ballroom dancing of all different styles is collectively throbbing in the greatest condition of vitality.

Despite the fact that in certain places you can find people and events completely centered on the exciting art of ballroom dancing, there are also places where it is relatively unnoticed. With new fitness equipment, fitness programs, and other exercise fads such as Yoga or Pilates, ballroom dancing, it does not often occur to someone to consider ballroom dancing. Almost all doctors, specialists, and other professionals will recommend a cardiovascular workout as part of your regular exercise program. In all truth, nonetheless, ballroom dancing is an excellent possibility for an exercise program, one including a cardiovascular workout.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching, gardening, and fashion. For more of her articles on fitness, please visit americanfitness.net, supplier of high quality Yoga Supplies and Weight Equipment

Want Something Different? Get Your Exercise From Ballroom Dancing!

Ballroom dancing may just be the answer you are looking for if you are not sure how to really enjoy your exercise program. You and your partner may very well enjoy the fun and thrill of ballroom dancing over any other kind of exercise! It is not among the most popular forms of exercise people become attached to and fit into their daily schedule. Nonetheless, it could be perfect for you.

There are dance competitions you can watch on television that include a huge number of styles . . . but it does not look easy on television, and it?s actually harder than it looks! But these are professionals in extremely difficult competitions, the fact is that ballroom dancing is pretty much put into a widespread category with one consistent similarity: couples dance. Around the globe, partner dancing is both a social as well as a competitive sport that requires practice and dedication. I also believe that certain types of couples dancing are too often ignored by the media, and would certainly be enjoyed more for spectators, students, and competitors alike. If ballroom dance is given the chance, it will undoubtedly flourish.

It feels good to be at a wedding, fancy party or any special event and know how to do more on the floor than just sway back and forth like a slow dance at the High School prom. However, there are some people who remember learning how to dance in school ? having ballroom dance be a central part of any special event, especially when a young man dated a young girl.

Dancing has not really become unpopular among High School students and young adults, but it is untrained, individualized and often very unimpressive. This is not to say that some individuals do not devote time and energy to complicated dance moves and have real dedication to practicing and dancing to many contemporary styles of music. Sadly, dancing today is not what it once was. This is why, when someone really knows how, ballroom dancing can make you the center of attention when the floor is open and the music plays, luring you to move your body along with it.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching, gardening, and fashion. For more of her articles on fitness, please visit americanfitness.net, supplier of high quality Gym Equipment and Weight Equipment.