Interview with Marco Cuocci and Nadiya Dyatlova, Youth Italian Couple - Fiesta Mediterranea IDSF Youth Latin Winners in Spain - Barcelona, June 2005; German Open 2005 Youth 10 Dance Finalists: Danceway: How long you have been dancing together? Marco: We started dancing together in August 2004 as Youth. Currently we are last year in Youth and we are dancing for Italy. Dance Way: What is most important in preparation for the dance competition? Nadiya: The way the person is dressed makes the first one of the biggest impressions on the others not only in casual life, but also in dancing. In dancing like in the normal life there are some stories that we try to show with special movements and emotions. Our dance - our story must have a sense. All the stories are different and that is why it is interesting for us to watch dancing. The dress for a dancer is very important because it\s a part of his story, his image that helps his own story to be understandable. To my mind the way a dancer looks makes the biggest impression about a personality and a quality of the performance on the judges and public. For example in the first rounds of the big competitions judges usually don\t have enough time to watch the quality of the dancing, but the image of the couple immediately makes good impression and the couple has much more chances. Danceway: How do you choose design for your costumes? Nadiya: My dresses are my personality! I create my dresses in my mind first. I try to put all my inside world into the designs I have, I point on my character, the way I understand dancing. I try to make dresses that I feel good in and that are comfortable not only to dance but also that help me to express myself on the floor, to show who I am, what I think and what I do. Sometimes the designs come very suddenly to my mind, sometimes I see them in my dreams, sometimes I think of them for a long time. Of course there are many things that I \d like to develop still and I\m working hard on each dress I make. For example before I go to order the dress I visualized I think well if the design I want to have would look good on me, would feet me. To my mind the biggest mistake of some dancers is that they don\t pay attention on the constitution of their body, on their own figure and make dresses like they think it\s popular or nobody else has this design…etc; Danceway: What advice you would like to give for dancesport costumes design? Nadiya: All people have different bodies and the same dress can\t look good on all the girls. So I think that all dancers should note the speciality of their figure and make dresses that really fit them. Only the dress that fits can make this fantastic impression. With the help of the dress we can point on some parts that we think are the most beautiful and hide the parts, that are not so attractive. For example if you have some extra weight, you can use dark colours that visually will make you slimmer. Short girls should not wear dresses with a closed neck, because visually they will look even shorter and the neck will look short. The vertical lines on the material “make you higher”. For children it\s better to have simple basic dresses that make them look more clear , focused and natural. All of us has something special inside. My advice to everyone is try to make your dress as you see yourself from the side, as you\d really like to look, that you will feel comfortable in. Use your own character and personality, because no one can make better for you than you can make for yourself! All the best and good luck in creating your new style!. (Exclusive Interview for danceway.com)