Dance Subculture

Dance Shoes: Dance shoes are pertinent to any dancer, especially competition dancers.  Everyone has to have the same shoes, otherwise you could get marked off points by the judges.  It is also important not to lose them, seeing as they are very expensive.  At first glance, if someone were to hear this reasoning, they would probably think that people were overreacting and it's not as big of a deal as it's coming off as.  On the contrary, if a team has registered one of their dances for a certain style, the shoes must correlate, and it could seriously hurt their chances of winning if the rules weren't followed.  Dance can be a very expensive sport, and shoes are no exception.  People may think you have to be well off to dance, but there are some shortcuts.  There are a lot of used dance shoe stores, and a lot of studios sell used dance shoes, cutting down prices sometimes up to 95%.  The three most important things this artifact tells me about this subculture are of the art of it, the price, and the precision.

Caboodles/Makeup: Caboodles are plastic makeup cases that are now mostly only seen at dance competitions and other places where heavy makeup is used.  They were a huge fad in the 80's and 90's, but died out as other makeup cases arose.  Almost every dancer has one of these, because they are perfect for carrying large amounts of makeup and come with a mirror inside.  I chose this artifact because it's every dancer's best friend, they can organize their makeup and be able to touch-up or change quickly if needed.    It's just another thing to add on the price list, and some may have a problem with that after seeing the end bill.  But it's all part of the complete package to having a successful competition.  Along with dance shoes, a seemingly flawless face that isn't washed out is a must.  It is counted towards the final score and can be the deciding factor when it comes to points.  This is a big part of the subculture and how it is defined because it is widely controversial.  Many people would fight that children as young as four don't need makeup and they should dance the way they are.  In all reality, it has nothing to do with trying to objectify girls or make them seem older than they are, it simply has to do with the fact that they are on stage, and the lights wash their faces out.  There is a little glam factor in it, because it completes the package, but it's all part of the competition.  The three most important things this artifact tells me about the subculture are that it's controversial, it's important to scoring, and that it's perfectly normal to the dancers.

Rhinestones/Costumes: Rhinestones and costumes are probably the most important part of competition minus the actual dance.  The costumes have to correlate with the dance itself and be appropriate with the music.  Whether it's appropriate for the age group is a different story.  This is why people misinterpret dance competitions so much.  Costuming can be risque, and some critics can't get past that.  I myself have mixed feelings about the subject, because I grew up at a studio that was modest in costuming, a rule actually being that no costumes can show stomach.  People think that it's degrading towards girls and giving them the wrong idea young in life.  It's connected to my other artifacts to make the complete package of a perfect competitor.  The three most important things this artifact tells me about the subculture are that it's, again, controversial, can be risque and is widely misinterpreted.