Suzanne's Mom's Blog

Photo: Bonfire Visuals/Greenville Journal.
Beautiful gowns are part of the competitive ballroom-dancing experience.

Do you ever watch ballroom competitions on television and wonder where the women get their amazing gowns? At the Washington Post, Cathy Alter provides an answer — for those who can afford it. The gowns are pretty expensive.

“It could be any house in suburban Annandale, Va.,” writes Alter, “among the split-level Colonials with manicured boxwood shrubs — except, around back, past the statue of the red fox and down some steppingstones, there’s a sign on the basement door to greet visitors: ‘You’re about to enter a sparkle splash zone. Twirling encouraged.’

“Inside, Julie Wilson runs a business here in the family home, known by those who need to know as Encore Ballroom Couture. It’s considered the ballroom dance industry’s leading consignment and consignment-rental dress company. Competitive dancers come here from far and wide, as do the frocks. The abiding aesthetic is more is more: feathers, sequins, fringe, crystals. …

” ‘Dancing With the Stars’ is scheduled to return to ABC’s prime-time schedule with its 32nd season this fall (after a sidestep to Disney Plus for a season); Bravo, in its endless hunt for reality-based drama and conflict among ambitious women and certain men, concluded its first season this summer of ‘Dancing Queens.’ …

“Fans of these shows, or just of the scene itself, may wonder where the gowns come from, or where they go after they’ve been worn. A good place to start is here in Wilson’s basement empire.

“Wilson danced competitively for 20 years, which included a decade as an instructor. She was a pageant queen, too. (Ms. Virginia; Ms. Ireland USA.) The years went by, and her closets bulged with the glimmering evidence of moments in the spotlight. There was no place for the family to keep winter coats. Wilson remembers when her mother, Brenda, had enough: ‘She said, “Julie, you need to do something about this.” ‘

“Wilson, 44, says it was hard to part with her girls. (Gowns, in this community, are all female.) ‘I didn’t trust eBay to take care of my dresses,’ she says. Plus, the resale space for competitive ballroom dancing dresses was ‘a black hole.’

“Brenda Wilson, a retired OB/GYN nurse, and Julie, a government contractor, decided to open Encore, transforming the basement of the home they shared with husband and dad Walter into a dance destination. Chandeliers simulate the lighting of competition dance floors, white ostrich feathers are arranged in vases and a small refurbishing station stands ready for dresses that need a bit of first aid. Instead of nails and screws, small drawers contain a color spectrum of crystals.

“At first, Julie sold her own dresses. Then she sold her friends’ dresses. Fourteen years later, Encore has an inventory of around 450 dresses, consigned by dancers who retired, overhauled their image or whose closets needed some breathing room. Consignors get 60 percent of the sale price, which can be quite considerable; dresses here start around $4,000. Dress rentals begin at $300.

“One of the first girls Wilson resold that wasn’t her own belonged to Rose-Ann Lynch, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. … When Mike prepared to retire in 2005, Rose-Ann handed him a honey-do list, which included dance lessons. ‘I told him, “I don’t want you to lead if you don’t know where you’re going,” she says.

“The duo competed for the first time that same year and are currently the 23-time USA Dance Senior Amateur national champions, a category for people ages 55-64. Tight as drums, Mike and Rose-Ann make a compelling case that the fountain of youth can be found on the dance floor. A logistician by training, Mike possesses rational, chess-like strategies that come in handy on the dance floor. With multiple couples whirling and twirling at the same time, avoiding a collision is vital when the judges determine their final scores.

“Today, the Lynches have come to Encore Ballroom Couture in search of an American Smooth dress for Rose-Ann. A primer, for those who need one: Competitive ballroom dancing includes both American and International categories. American style includes Smooth (waltz, tango, fox trot, Viennese waltz) and Rhythm (cha-cha, rumba, swing, bolero, mambo); International is separated into Standard (waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow fox trot, quickstep) and Latin (cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, jive).

“American Smooth and International Standard styles call for dresses with floats (think fluttery silks that move behind the dancer like wisps of steam), and Rhythm and Latin necessitate something shorter and sexier.

“In American Smooth, partners separate and dance side by side, a la Fred and Ginger, so dresses must look good both coming and going. In International Standard, the couples dance closely, so dresses need look amazing only from the back.

“If Rose-Ann finds a dress today, it will appear in one of the most important dance competitions of the year: the Amateur National Championship, next March in Pittsburgh. ‘I always like to be prepared for Nationals,’ she explains.” 

Yesterday I peeked in at a ballroom refresher class for folks in my retirement community. The couples looked pretty sedate. And there certainly weren’t any swirling gowns.

Nice photos and more than you ever wanted to know on this topic at the Post, here.

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