Miscellaneous on dresses and music for a program

vava · Feb 3, 2023

Hi everyone, I am looking for a bit of practical advice.

So my one big skating goal for this year is to sign up for one of the exhibitions sponsored by my local rink. I have talked at length about it with my coach and we are starting to work on a program I'm very excited about. I just have some practical questions and I am hoping you guys will be able to shed some light on.

For context I am skating to skyfall by Adele - how do I go about getting and cutting the music to be the exact length I need??

Also I am starting to look for a costume and I have an idea on what i want it to look like - but how do I know what's a good purchase? What kind of "red flags" should I be looking for?? What else should I wear besides skating tights??

I guess I am really inexperienced when it comes to performances in general and I'd love to get pointers and tips.

Thanks!

christy · Feb 3, 2023

Some people cut their own music, but you could also ask your coach if they can do it or if they can recommend someone.

For dresses the best option is to find a local skating shop where you can try them on. Your coach may have some recommendations of stores or local dressmakers. If you do buy online make sure you check all measurements, especially the girth, and check where they will be shipping from as some dresses from China can take a long time.

Ic3Rabbit · Feb 3, 2023

vava said:
Hi everyone, I am looking for a bit of practical advice.

So my one big skating goal for this year is to sign up for one of the exhibitions sponsored by my local rink. I have talked at length about it with my coach and we are starting to work on a program I'm very excited about. I just have some practical questions and I am hoping you guys will be able to shed some light on.

For context I am skating to skyfall by Adele - how do I go about getting and cutting the music to be the exact length I need??

Also I am starting to look for a costume and I have an idea on what i want it to look like - but how do I know what's a good purchase? What kind of "red flags" should I be looking for?? What else should I wear besides skating tights??

I guess I am really inexperienced when it comes to performances in general and I'd love to get pointers and tips.

Thanks!

Order a dress off of a website of a place that specializes in it like Jerry's or Rainbo. I'd honestly wear black if it was me. You need to wear thinner tights than the super thick practice tights, you can order those from the sites i mentioned or you can look into Danskin etc. Please get footed tights or over the boot tights and make sure they match your skintone. Or you could even wear a catsuit since it's a sleek 007 related song. Some coaches and choreographers will if asked and if they can, cut the music, but for something like Adele, it's risky with copyright etc.... I'd have a professional cut music if you can.

Good luck!

sk8dreamzzzz · Feb 4, 2023

Hi Vava,

You ask a great question. As a professional musician who is learning to figure skate, I highly recommend having a professional cut your music. The difference to me is glaringly obvious. Some people cut their own music and drop beats, have awkward cuts or export such terrible quality audio that I have to cover my ears in competitions sometimes. What could take a non professional over 10 hours sitting at a computer with poor results would take a pro 10 minutes and sound smooth. I started cutting music for my skate friends recently and they were shocked at how quickly I could give them a quality edit. It only took me a good 15 years of intense audio and music editing to get this fast...

Maybe you know some musicians and can ask around? It is worth investing in this part of your performance (more important than the dress) and supporting local musicians.

alyssamarie · Feb 4, 2023

A lot of my friends and I do a basic cut using audacity. For dresses we order them custom sized on eBay and have enjoyed the quality. i also wear a nude leotard under my dress.