The Difference Between International and American Style Dresses

In my last post, I mentioned that before you buy a new ballroom dress it’s important to know which style of ballroom you dance, American or International, as there can be some pretty major differences between American and International style dresses.  Also, it’s important to keep in mind that the region in which you live isn’t always indicative of which style you dance, so if you’re not 100 percent sure, head over to my post explaining the style differences to help you figure out syllabus you follow. In this post I’ll give you a run-down of how to tell the difference between an International and American style dresses, and try to explain why these differences exist.

The most noticeable differences between the two styles and their respective dress designs are between the dress styles of International Standard and American Smooth. As mentioned in my post explaining the differences between American and International styles, International Standard is danced using closed figures exclusively, while American Smooth includes both closed and open figures (i.e. any figure not danced in frame) which is the primary reason for the differences in dress styles.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference between International Standard dresses and American Smooth dresses are floats, or the lack thereof. For those of you who don’t know, floats are bits of fabric (or feathers, beading, etc.) that hang from the sleeves of an International Standard dress like wings. Because International Standard is danced using only closed positions, floats create a bit of movement otherwise missing in the upper portion of the body; they’re great for adding softness and making the upper potion of the body a bit more interesting. However, floats aren’t so great for American Smooth dancers, due to the open patterns included in American Smooth. The open patterns included in American Smooth make floats a hazard for entanglement, as it’s easy for both the female and her partner to become wrapped up in the floats. Additionally, because American Smooth includes open patterns, there is more upper body movement, which means you don’t really need the added movement floats provide.

Another notable difference between American Smooth and International Standard gowns is the size, shape, and design details of the skirt. Similar to the case with floats, the open positions in American Smooth provide a better opportunity for skirt movement, as the frequent turns give more opportunities to generate wind/momentum to move the skirt a bit, which means slimmer, less voluminous skirts work well for American Smooth. Additionally, since American Smooth includes more open movements, you’re more likely to see skirts with slits up the side, as this help increase mobility. Conversely, International Standard dresses tend to be much fuller, including many layers of underskirts, which help create more movement while dancing closed positions; as such, the skirts tend to be much wider, and never include slits.

Another design difference between American Smooth and International Standard dresses is the overall sex-appeal of the dress. American Smooth dresses tend to be a bit more revealing (think Latin inspired) than International Standard dresses. Again, the reasoning for this comes from the inclusion of open positions in Smooth. Because you virtually never see the front of the dress while dancing International Standard, Standard dresses tend to have higher backs and lack the cutouts that are popular in American Smooth dresses. Essentially, if you’re going to have a highly-crystalized dress, you want the audience and judges to see the decoration, and if you’re dancing only closed positions, you need to include decorations on the back, which means higher backs and less cutouts. In American Smooth, however, the open positions make the front of the dress frequently visible, so it’s less important for the back of the dress to be highly decorated.

Left: International Standard
Right: American Smooth

Unfortunately, the differences between International Latin and American Rhythm aren’t quite as distinct, and sometimes it’s tough to tell the differences. In most cases, you’ll probably be OK wearing a Latin dress for Rhythm, or vice versa, but if you’re worried there are a few subtle differences to keep in mind. Rhythm dresses are sometimes a bit more revealing than Latin dresses – not that the sex appeal of Latin dresses is anything to scoff at. Also, Latin dresses tend to be a bit longer than Rhythm dresses, and/or include an asymmetrical hem with one long side and one short side. That said, these aren’t hard and fast rules, and there tends to be a lot of cross over. If you’re concerned that a dress is too Latin or too Rhythm, run it past your instructor and they’ll let you know, but in most cases you can get away with wearing an International style dress for Rhythm or an American style dress for Latin (just remember this isn’t the case for Standard and Smooth!).

Just remember, anytime you question the appropriateness of a dress, show a photo to your instructor. Also feel free to comment below with a link to the dress and/or email me, and I’ll be happy to help you out.