When people ask me, “have you found the dress?” I find myself asking them, which one? Are you referring to my fancy Dancing Stars Augusta dress that I need in June, or my very-specific-and-impossible-to-find wedding dress, that I need in October? They are, of course, always referring to the dress with the capital letters-The Wedding Dress. But as elusive as The Dress has been, I am finding the other dress equally challenging.

The more tango videos I study, the more I realize there is a dress style which is ideal for this dance, and it is not on the menu at your average party-dress store. It is typically slinky, sparkly and replete with aggressive slits, allowing the legs to have room to move (plus it just looks fun).

Not having secured this fun garment yet, I wore a simple but flow-y dress to the DSA photo shoot recently. Sammy Anderson of Anderson Photography is the official photo sponsor of the event, and was very gracious during what had to be an unusual session for him. Stephen choreographed the shoot, and I found myself in a wide range of poses designed to look like a frozen moment of a real dance. After each pose, I must have had a strange expression on my face, because they would both ask me, “Are you ok?” –I think they were quite concerned for me. I was fine, just a little out of my element. I’ve not posed for a picture while suspended in mid-air before. I will have to make sure to veto some of the shots, or people will surely bribe me with them later in life.

As you can see, the photos which were selected convey a hint of the drama we can expect on June 10th. The tricky part of this deal is the facial expressions. Notice Stephen, who was “in character” for the shoot, perfectly playing the role of dramatic male tango expert. Notice Angela, who was still new to the performance arts, and forgot to get into character. She looks like she just lost her puppy. In some shots (that hopefully you will never see), she looks like she just saw the trailer for Scream 4. Sammy would have to take Photoshop to a whole new level to make those shots look presentable.

Well, I still have 5 more weeks to work on my character, and I am sure that the right dress will help. Be sure to forward any suggestions for slinky-sparkly dresses to me, and don’t forget to buy your tickets for the big night! They are going fast!!

http://dancingstarsofaugusta.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=461344

I appreciate everyone’s support so far! Looking forward to seeing you in June!

P.S. It is hard to see, but I am wearing a fancy black scarf with sparkles. My future Mother-in-Law Judy brought it back for me from Mexico. I think it is my good luck charm!