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This past weekend, synchronized skating teams from all over the country came together in Kalamazoo, Michigan to compete at the 2016 US National Synchronized Skating Championships.

This event is filled with amazing choreography, energy, and (our favorite!) dresses! One thing that can be said about all synchronized skate teams: they know how to commit to their theme with choreography and costuming, while always maintaining a feminine and glamorous edge! One trend we noticed this year? Accessorizing skate dresses with black leggings or tights, which really puts an emphasis on the leg against the white ice!

Check out some of our amazing customers who competed - what a great way to end the season!

University of Delaware Collegiate, with a Dirty Dancing theme

We’re in spring cleaning mode on the blog this month, and we’re talking about garment care! We know washing costume is not the most scintillating topic - but bear with us! Proper costume care it is perhaps the most important thing your can do to increase the longevity of your dance and skate wear!

Looking to reuse your costume next year, or resell it to meet your fundraising goals?  Here are 5 essential tips straight from our laundry department experts, that'll keep your costumes in top shape for years to come:

This year has been full of new and exciting challenges for the Wisconsin Edge Intermediate Synchronized Skating Team. They moved into the national-qualifying division, which meant they needed to take everything up a level, from the music to the dresses!

The Music

Coach Sally-Anne told us a little bit about how they choose their music: “We play a variety of songs with different tempos, speeds, etc. during our clinics, tryouts and first few practices, and more often than not, the skaters end up helping pick their theme based on their reaction to what we play!” This year, the winner was a Bruno Mars medley! Now that they had the music, it was time to think about choreography and dresses.

It’s been a year full of surprises for Wisconsin’s Hortonville High School Dance Team! And we at The Line Up were thrilled and excited that Coach Kiara asked us to be a part of their journey this season, equipping the team with some fiery new pom uniforms for their state competition!

Coach Kiara also took some time to tell us a little more about her team: “This team is full of energy, spunk and fire. The amount of passion, heart and energy that this team displays while performing is so fun to watch.” This year, the team chose “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys for their song. This song highlighted the team’s passion so well that it inspired a new team motto: “This Team is on Fire”!

The Design Vision: Fire and Intensity

Hortonville’s school colors are red and black, which coordinated with their theme and new team motto perfectly. Coach Kiara said, “I knew I needed to design a uniform that matched the fire and intensity that they practice and perform with every day!” Working with The Line Up, she came up with a beautiful design that “made the flames stand out and sparkle!” A custom red flame design was printed onto the black and white garment with sublimation, and rhinestones were added for that extra flair.

The excitement of competition season is drawing to a close for many dance and synchronized skating teams, which leaves us with one not so exciting – though very important – question. What do I do with these stinky costumes?!? This month on the blog, we’re giving you our best costume care advice to take the stress out of washing your costume.

Last month, one of our Account Managers, Karen, took two weeks off to travel to beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii. This was no ordinary beach vacation though - Karen traveled to this exotic local to represent the Minnesota Vikings as their 2016 Pro-Bowl Cheerleader! What an honor! Did you know that The Line Up is proud to call THREE current and former employees Pro-Bowl Alumni? Our Marketing Coordinator Pam and former Account Manager Laura were also chosen to represent the Vikings.

Chicago Radiance Skating Club is ready to heat up the ice! This season, Coach Nicole contacted and shared with us her design ideas to style her Beginner, Pre-Juvenile and Intermediate synchronized skating teams. She had a tall order: 4 new competition dresses. Let's take a look at the results!

Not long ago, St. Viator High School dance program was on the verge of non-existence! Through perseverance, drive and dedication, these girls revived the program and hired an experienced coach last season to push them to the next level. Enter Coach Lindsay Jones. With the guidance of Coach Lindsay and the determination of the team, this dance program has been reinvented in less than a year! We're certainly impressed!

This past weekend, dance teams from across Minnesota came together at the Target Center in Minneapolis, ready to compete in the Minnesota State High School League (MHDSL) Dance Team championship! On Friday, 36 high school teams competed in the jazz category, and the following day 36 teams (some the same, some new!) were ready to take on the high kick category. We are so proud of our many customers that competed this weekend at State!

 

Competition season has reached the height of excitement the past couple of weeks. With so many state and national competitions, we can hardly keep up with all of the amazing performances! Wisconsin held it's 2016 WACPC State Dance Championships last weekend, and these ladies KNOW how to do costumes! Bright hues, bold color changes, and rhinestones galore!

Check out a few of the teams we were proud to have outfitted with their #LineUpLook:

De Pere - Pom