New Freestyle (dog dancing) costume pics

[Wonka & Nilla]

For those of you that follow along with our Canine Freestyle adventures.... here are the costumes Wonka and I will be wearing for the new routine we are choreographing. The new song is "Side by Side" and the version we are using is by the Puppini Sisters, a female trio. (If the song title doesn't sound familiar, the lyrics might: "oh, we ain't got a barrel of money, maybe we're ragged and funny, but we travel along, singin' a song, side by side.")

We're going for a "colorful hobo" look. Wonka's collar is made with a bunch of patches, sewn together in a rough and ragged way. I'm really pleased with how it turned out - It's exactly what I had in mind.







For me: Torn pants, a dark green vest with patches, newsboy cap... I haven't decided yet if I'll wear a white or denim shirt under the vest. I forgot to include the cane in the picture, but I have a lovely old walking cane - on the handle I'll tie a small bandana bundle like a hobo.


Thank you to all the PVer's who gave me costume feedback several weeks ago!

[tall grass pugs]

A cute look, hope you have great success.

[Otto's momma]

Oh my goodness!! Its PERFECT!

[T'spugs]

Love the look!

[BeachyKeen]

That turned out beautifully! You especially did a great job with Wonka's costume!

[GingerSnap]

These are great! I can't wait to see the routine!

[Wonka & Nilla]

I can't wait to see the routine!

It's coming along, but it will be a little while still before I have the routine at a point where it's "post-able". I have all the choreography plotted out in my head and on paper, I'm just trying to smooth out a few transitions and teach Wonka the new tricks he needs to know. He has picked up a couple of the new moves REALLY quick and easy, but there is one other that he's finding very challenging. If I can't help him to do the move as fluidly as I'd like, then we may have to come up with something different. But, so far, I'm really liking this new routine. I showed it to my original Freestyle instructor this week. Even though she hasn't been teaching in a while, we've stayed in touch and she gives me a lot of good advice when I ask for it. She came out and watched Wonka and I go through it (as well as we could at this stage) and she kept saying "Wow, I didn't know Wonka could do that! You guys look so great!!" If Wonka and I can polish it up and get the moves down solidly, I think it will be a great routine.

[Bethy]

I ADORE FREESTYLE!!!!! I wish they had had all these great things to do with your dogs when I first started in dogs, back in the early 60's. All they had then, was obedience and conformation. Now you have agility, flyball, freestyle.....a whole myriad of things to do. Wish I was a whole lot younger, and had enough energy to try them all, particularly freestyle.

I've never seen a pug do freestyle. Promise me that you will post your routine, I would ABSOLUTELY LOVEto see it!!!!!!!!

[Wonka & Nilla]

Wish I was a whole lot younger, and had enough energy to try them all, particularly freestyle.

You should give it a try!!! You are never too old or too young to dance with your dog! In fact, there is a competition division called "Sassy Senior" where either the dog OR the handler is a senior citizen.

I've never seen a pug do freestyle.

Pugs are certainly not a common breed to see in the Freestyle ring. I was told in May, by the person who is in charge of tracking breeds/titles for the World Canine Freestyle Organization, that only three Pugs have Canine Freestyle titles in the USA. Wonka is one of them!! Wonka has his Beginner Title in two different divisions (solo and group routines) and the first (out of 3 needed) qualifying score toward his Novice title. There are a few other pugs out there dancing, but so far only three pugs have titles from competition. That makes Wonka and I feel pretty special.

Promise me that you will post your routine, I would ABSOLUTELY LOVEto see it!!!!!!

I will post a practice session when we're a little further along. In the meantime, you can watch some of Wonka's previous Freestyle routines on his website here: http://wonkaweb.homestead.com/freestylegroup.html
Or, if you can't view them on that page, you can try here for one from May:
http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2009solo-1.flv

[pugsnbugg]

Love the costumes...great job! Can't wait to see the routine!