Do I need coaching?:
Short answer is no, coaching is not required at Dreamboat Dolls. Some girls find having a session or 2 of coaching can really help them understand what to do on the stage
and give them an extra boost of confidence, but our judges are looking for radiant girls who not only present themselves well on stage, but look like they are enjoying themselves.
Where Can I find a Coach?
If you decide you want to find a coach to help out, there are a few options. My daughter Megan does some basic beauty coaching, routines and touch up/polishing of what you have. You can find info on the vendor list HERE.
You also can get a coach from the USA (most are in CA, TX, TN, KY, NV). This will run you about $65 for a video routine and $85 an hour on skype.
Try looking on the voy boards for coaches. Coaches in the USA are very competitive, so if you choose a USA coach you use just that one coach unless you decide to switch. Its pretty tacky in the pageant world to be using more than one coach at a time :)
What is Pro-Am Modeling?
This is one of the most difficult pageant things to explain I find. It is almost a series of poses and 'almost' dance moves put together into a routine. It is not a dance routine - there are no pirouettes, etc... You will see spins, kicks, shimmies, etc... It also is becoming pretty old school and not being seen done very much unless with western wear (which is very fast pro-am).
DREAMBOAT DOLL WEAR MODELING
Dreamboat Doll Wear is our ANYTHING goes category. The whole point of the doll wear is to embody the doll. Act as if you are the doll.
If your doll is a gymnast then you might do some gymnastics, if the doll is a ballerina then you might do some ballet. Your modeling choice should be doing what the doll is doing. Be creative, have fun! We have had girls sing, do specific types of dance, tumbling, etc....NO extra points are giving for having these special skills. We had one girl get perfect scores with a very elegant doll and she did simple elegant modeling acting like the character.
Choose a doll you feel YOU can express with your own talents! If your doll is a figure skater, you probably shouldn't come out singing and doing backflips! Props are allowed -this is the category we want to see you WOW us! PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE A GYMNASTICS ROUTINE -ABSOLUTELY NO GYMNASTICS ALLOWED. We allow splits but no handsprings/cartwheels, etc.. For each gymnastics move we take off 1 point per judge. Gymnastics moves include cartwheels, flips, tumbling, somersaults,etc..Dollwear should still be a MODELING ROUTINE.
CASUAL WEAR/SWIM WEAR MODELING
Casual wear and swim wear modeling is like a faster version of your beauty walk (following the same X pattern), but you can do a sassy walk and some cute moves and poses. We allow one carried prop in casual wear.
BEAUTY WEAR MODELING
Beauty wear modeling should follow the standard x pattern above. We look for grace, poise, smile, personality,eye contact and overall impression.
Don't go too fast, but also watch that you don't go too slow. Be graceful, hold your arms just at the side of your dress. One of the biggest mistakes I see are girls in cupcakes who hold their arms out stiff as boards out to the side of their dress, but up in the air. You may have seen this on tv, but it is not a correct way of holding your arms in a beauty walk. Arms should be relaxed, yet poised. I can't stress enough how much 30-45 mins of beauty coaching can give you a huge advantage and a boost of self confidence. Have a strong beauty walk is very important in pageants!
OUTFIT OF CHOICE MODELING
For OOC, many girls will have some sort of a cute modeling routine. Keeping with the traditional x pattern, using sassy walks, moves, spins, poses, etc... You also might see pro-am modeling in OOC. Always check with the pageant director as to what their definition of OOC is, but at Dreamboat Dolls we are looking for creativity. We love to see something themed with outfit and music. We had a mom once convince another mom that our OOC was simply casual wear, and that girl lost creativity points, and was a bit angry about it. I had told her it was themed stuff we were after, but unfortunately she listened to another mom (who thought she knew better than the director of the pageant!). Never hesitate to ask ME what I am after in a category.
MODELING WITH A TODDLER/BABY
At Dreamboat Dolls, you do not need to follow the x's with your baby or toddler. When you bring them on stage, simply go to the front x and show off your little one to the judges. When you are done you may walk directly off the other side of the stage. No need to follow x's! I always suggest the person bringing the baby on stage wears black, so the baby stands out. Or a complimentary color to what the baby is wearing!
