About ABC - Affordable Ballroom Competition Dresses

ABC Dresses is owned by DanceSport competitor Karen J. Andrade.  Her instructors are Daryll and Gunnar Sverrisson, the reigning US National 9 Dance Champions, wining their title at the United States Dance Championships in September, 2007.  Karen dances at the Sverrisson's studio Ballroom Fever in Enfield, Ct. and is a registered competitor with USA Dance, the governing body for DanceSport in the United States and is a member of her local chapter, MASSABDA.

Karen has been dancing since the 20^th century, and has studied with some of the best professional competitors, judges and coaches.  Her New England mentors have included champions; Suzanne Hamby, Larinda McRaven, David Rosinsky and his former partner, Michele Evans. David, along with So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Jean Marc Généraux, and his wife France Mousseau annually host Dancing a La Carte as a fundraiser for the International Rett Syndrome Foundation.  You have to see Jean Marc and France do their hysterical and technically wonderful Paso Doble.

Karen regularly attends Dancevision Mastery Camps at the Emerald Ball and Las Vegas.  Karen has studied Standard with Michael Mead and Toni Redpath in hopes to learn the secret of Toni's perfect back, and Victor Veyrasset & Heather Smith to learn true sublime elegance.  Always amazed by Bob Powers and Julia Gorchakova she's taken private coachings  to figure out the secret of Julia's Core Rhythms body movements.  Other latin mentors have been Donald Johnson and Kasia Kozak and Ron and Karla Montez for Ron's mean mambo.  Karen's favorite latin dance is the Paso Doble and her idol in this dance is Shirley Ballas, a champion with her husband Corky Ballas. Corky coached the professionals on Dancing with the Stars, including his son, Mark Ballas, Mark's former partner, Julianne Hough and her brother Derek Hough.

Karen J. Andrade is a recognized beauty and fashion expert.  She is a graduate of the Barbizon School of Modeling, which she attended on full scholarship after winning in several beauty pageants. She worked as a professional model and make up artist in New York City where she studied fashion at The Fashion Institute of Technology.  She later became a research assistant at the Smithsonian Institution, Museum of American History, Division of Costume where she studied the development of fashion in the 20^th century.

Having danced before, during and after pregnancy, in sizes 4 to 24, Karen has a unique perspective on what works on dancers of any size and age.  She designs dresses  especially for the amateur dancer, who may or may not have a perfect professional’s figure or finances, but wants to shine.