Madis Abel is a finalist in the WDSF Standard Adults World Championship, WDSF Standard European Championship, and GrandSlam Series. He is from Estonia and started dancing when he was 6 years old. Until the present day, even though he’s quite young, he counts many titles: WDSF Standard Youth European Champion and WDSF Standard U21 World Champion.

Madis, like any other dance champion I’ve come across, is hungry for knowledge. He wants to be the best and is a perfectionist. These traits are helpful not only to develop into a skillful dancer but also in other aspects of a dancer’s life – the looks.

By studying and learning from his mistakes, Madis learned how to master his hairstyle. In this interview-based article, you’ll learn more about the skill he has. Also, if you want to learn how to create a ballroom man’s hairstyle directly from Madis, you can check his lecture on Dancesportlife Academy.

Bianca: Madis, how did you become interested in perfecting your hairstyling skills?

Madis: Growing up, I let my teacher Aleksander Makarov do my hairstyle, and I felt fine, even confident. But the reality hit me when I was alone at a competition and had to figure it out myself. So I started to do my hairstyle by myself and I felt that I was doing a pretty good job. But when I compared myself to others, I realized that I wasn’t good enough.

One day I decided I wanted to get better and create my own perfect hairstyle, so I started studying and practicing. I began to look for different styles, shapes, ideas. I also relied on the tips my teacher, Aleksander Makarov, gave to me. He helped me a lot!

After all the practicing, I guess I got to a level where everything started to come naturally. It became easy to prepare for a competition and feel confident when entering the floor. It became easy to help all my younger students with their hairstyles. I’ve even had the opportunity to help my friends in the World Final of the Adult Standard category. 

It felt like a superpower!

There are too many dancers out there who are not doing their own hairstyles because they are led back by their lack of confidence. 

Bianca: Why is it essential for dancers to have a perfect hairstyle?

Madis: There’s an important truth in this sport – you have to have a complete look on the dance floor. Starting with your dancing skills and finishing with how you look. We are judged from the moment we step on to the floor until the moment we step off the floor. That includes how you walk, how you smile, and how you look. Your look is what people usually notice first. This is the first impression of you, and you get judged by that, too. 

If you don’t look like you’re ready to win, you might lose to folks that don’t deserve beating you. It isn’t always fair, but deep down, we all know that this is how the world works. It’s a crucial aspect of your overall presentation during the competition. 

Bianca: Why did you decide to create this course?

Madis: I wanted to help others, as well. I thought about the dancers, friends, or family members who are not sure how to create a hairstyle properly. My wish is to share my tips & tricks with them so that they can master this skill.

We all had those moments when we saw a professional hairstyle and wished you had a similar one. Or maybe as a young teacher, you hesitated to help your students do their hairstyles because you thought you could fail.

Each of us practiced doing a hairstyle for ourselves at home but did not turn up as you wish, and you let it go…You stopped trying… 

And for sure, for many of us, only the thought of doing our hair on the competition day gives us a sort of anxiety. 

I want people to feel confident, to learn, and perfect their hairstyle skills so they won’t feel like this anymore. 

Bianca: What can we find in your course?

Madis: My course “How to Make a Ballroom Dancing Hairstyle for Men” is a step-by-step program designed to give you all the tools needed to take your hairstyle making skills to the next level. You will find 20 lectures divided into 5 sections: Preparing your hair, Basic principles, Blow drying, Hair spraying, and Common mistakes. 

This isn’t fluffy theory stuff either. You’ll get real, ready-to-use tools that you can begin to implement immediately. You’ll also get my personal tips and explanations about my techniques. 

You can go through the course at your own pace and watch the videos as many times as you’d like. Inside the course, you’ll have access to the comments section to discuss the progress and ask for additional help. 

Bianca: Awesome! Thank you so much, Madis!

Madis: Thank you!