Interview With Steph Midday, Skilled Dancer & Hair Stylist

We’re fortunate sufficient to be joined by Steph Midday for todays interview, an skilled, championship successful dancer {and professional} dance stylist, who’s going to share a few of her experiences with us.

Hello, I’m Steph an Newbie Ballroom competitor and full time dance stylist.
I’ve travelled all around the world bettering each my dance expertise and hair and make-up expertise. I’ve been dancing for 23 years and a stylist for 8+ years.

For the final 5 years my firm Styled By Steph has been offering hair and make-up companies to all dancers internationally. From these competing of their first U6 competitors, to a number of Skilled World Champions. I assist dancers look and feel their finest.

 

You’re an completed dancer your self. Might you inform us extra about that journey

I started dancing at a neighborhood medallist faculty at 4 years previous.

I handed via the medallist system, finishing all of my exams and frequently competed on the ISTD competitions.

Throughout my juvenile profession, my mum started taking me to look at the UK Open every year, as it’s simply down the street from us. Right here I used to be capable of see one of the best dancers on the earth!

We knew then that becoming a member of the open circuit was the following step in my dancing profession. After successful on the ISTD grand finals I bought myself my first ‘boy’ associate.

 

Throughout my junior and youth profession I competed in each Ballroom and Latin and by the age of 15 I had made the UK Closed Newbie 10 dance closing, and each youth finals.

By 18 I had develop into u21 10dance Vice World Champion and finalist within the World Newbie 10 dance championships. At 19 I specialised (for the final time, as I additionally had partnerships the place I simply did latin!) in Ballroom.

After a number of years, and a few associate modifications I hit the height of my dancing profession. Within the house of two years with my associate Dan, we turned finalists in a number of prime Worldwide  competitions, Blackpool Rising star finalists, Blackpool newbie semi finalists and semi finalists on the earth championships for two years in a row.

We had been very lucky to be invited to compete and carry out all around the world.

 

How did you get into supporting dancers with their hair for competitions?

I used to be all the time very fortunate. My dance lecturers would usually assist me with my very own hair and it saved me and my mum many arguments! At round 13 years previous, I started training to do my very own hair and make-up for competitions.

My trainer would all the time let me know if I had achieved a superb job, so from there I used to be capable of hone my expertise.

One British Nationals, my trainer because the time was supposed to assist some women with their hair, sadly, she wasn’t accessible, so the job was handed down to a different woman within the faculty.

Final minute she was additionally not capable of assist so off I used to be despatched to those women lodges to do their hair. Fortunately, they cherished it! They requested if I’d be working on the subsequent competitors. The remaining is historical past as they are saying!

 

Why is hair and wonder so essential in dance competitions?

As a lot as I consider that ’the dancing all the time wins’, I additionally consider that there’s rather a lot that goes into it.
Having your hair and make-up achieved, whether or not that’s professionally or should you do it your self may also help you acquire the arrogance you have to step onto that ground.

It will probably allow you to create a personality, you may resolve a brand new persona for that day, and each time you carry out that may be somebody new!

Having your hair, make-up, tan and costume immaculate helps the choose really feel assured that what you’re doing, which can, end in getting one spherical additional. Finally although, I consider it’s the arrogance it offers the dancer to go on the market and shine. Having some assist to get this proper save your arms from aching and any pre comp tantrums… particularly from doing your individual hair!

 

So we’re simply going into competitors season  – what does that usually contain for you? What does a typical competitors day seem like for you?

Usually this implies, little or no sleep, plenty of hairspray and loads of admin. As soon as bookings are open, it’s going to usually take me round 12-18 hours of admin to organise a single competitors (usually about 6 hours per day I’m working).

As soon as the majority of the admin is completed, it’s then packing and travelling throughout the nation every weekend to begin work at numerous competitions throughout numerous organisations. Some weekends I’ll attend a couple of competitors. A mean weekend of labor will seem like this:

Day 1: unpacking and organising, between 15-20 hairstyles, roughly a ten hour shift (after journey)

Day 2: between 20-30 hairstyles, roughly a 18 hour shift (beginning at 4am ending by midnight)

Day 3: between 5-10 hairstyles, repacking and shutting down my work station (journey)

Then it’s merely; journey residence, spend in the future recovering and repeat the method!

As you may think about, packing a 40-60 hour work week right into a weekend will be actually taxing on the physique, so when I’m competing and coaching on the identical time, I might be very selective on when and what competitions I can work at. Nevertheless when I’m not competing I can usually be discovered working each weekend.

 

What types of dance do you help? What hairstyles are trending proper now?

In the intervening time I concentrate on Ballroom and Latin hair and make-up. Though I’m certified in each hair and make-up, at the moment I’m solely offering hairstyling appointments (I don’t have sufficient fingers for each!)

So far as trending dance hairstyles, I’m very glad to see that ‘lovely’ types are again in vogue and we’ve got moved away from very extreme types.

In ballroom, most ladies go for tender, glamorous types which we crimp the hair to create quantity and waves. In latin, ladies are gravitating between twists and braids, with lengthy ponytails.

 

Who’re a few of the most well-known dancers you will have labored with?

I’m very fortunate to have labored with a few of the finest dancers on the earth.

Within the newbie division I’ve achieved hairstyles for:
newbie champion Paulina Glazik, Zia James, Caroly Janes, Rebecca Scott, Mia Hyperlink Holden, Madison Ingoldsby, Olivia King

Within the Skilled division:
Sara Ghigiarelli, Irina Cherepanova, Kristi Boyce, Nataliya Koliada, Emanuel Napolitano, Polina Teleshova, Patrizia Ranus, Marika Doshoris, Morgan Hemphill, Olga Elsbury, Nataliia Beale, Liis Finish, Alisa Margulis

To call a number of!

I’ve additionally been extraordinarily privileged to be a part of the glam group for each Sara Ghigiarelli’s and Kristi Boyce’s closing look throughout their retirement announcement.

 

What are essentially the most novel or difficult requests you will have labored with?

Truthfully, I can safely say there may be nothing that scares me now!

Nearly all requests I’ve heard earlier than, or I’ve seen earlier than. Probably the most difficult occasions are for these, as I’ve talked about above, who choose me to be their stylist for his or her retirement competitors. That is once I actually really feel the stress!

 

Do you will have any recommendation for dancers who’re but to achieve the degrees of competitions you’re employed on, who could also be doing their very own hair?

You need to love the WHOLE technique of competitions, so should you don’t but, then it’s time to get training. It’s how I began and it the quickest and best technique to be taught.

Follow within the evenings, practise in your days off and by no means attempt one thing new on the day of the competitors.

If you’d like to have the ability to do your individual hair it’s going to solely take follow. In case your mum, sister, dad, whoever, provide to assist or they’re those doing all your hair, be form! I promise you, they’re making an attempt their finest, and should you’re not pleased with how they do it… then it’s time to be taught.

I’ve on-line tutorials accessible on my web site www.styledbysteph.co.uk  instructing you how you can do your individual hair your self and the way I do mine! On the location it’s also possible to see which competitions I might be attending subsequent – possibly I’ll see you there!