Charity Reid lives in a world of dance — literally. After auditioning for the World of Dance TV show when she was only 17, she gained a name for her talent and now has a closet full of custom costumes that tell her story.
Ballroom dance is known for its glitzy costumes, and Mapleton’s Charity Reid has been wearing them since she was only 5. The professional dancer was raised in Springville where her mom owns Charisma Dance Studio. Charity’s big break as a dancer was when she auditioned for the World of Dance television show at only 17.
After sending in a video audition with her ballroom partner Andrés Penate, she was invited by producers to come out to California for more auditions. Charity and Andrés made it to the final round of the show and ended up winning their division. They also earned the first ever perfect score in the show’s history.
One of the most fun and novel parts of dancing on TV is the opportunity to wear incredible custom costumes.
“The seamstresses are so talented,” Charity says. “They come in with raw fabrics and are able to construct the most amazing things. And they do it incredibly fast.”
Those costumes then go back into the show’s collection and are reworked and refashioned for the next production.
Performing in front of a live audience, with millions more watching on TV, requires a huge amount of confidence. Years of intense training makes this possible, but having an incredible outfit helps in the moment. Throughout the years, Charity has learned what styles help her feel and dance her best.
“I figured out that costumes with high necklines and long sleeves helped elongate me, so I always try to incorporate that if I can,” Charity says. “We also always add a thin belt to accentuate the waist.”
Charity’s signature style made its way into her wedding dress, too! Charity married her husband, Collin Reid, in 2020 and her gown followed the silhouette of all her favorite dance costumes.
“I think because I am so used to having dresses tailored to me, I approached buying a wedding dress the same way,” she explains. “I picked something that had a base style I liked and then added long sheer sleeves and a thin belt.”
Beyond looking the part, Charity’s costumes also have to allow for intense lifts, jumps and tricks.
“One of the most common ballroom dance mishaps is getting your heel caught on longer dresses,” Charity says. “I once wore this beautiful long golden dress that looked so cool, but I was fighting with the hem the entire time!”
Another tricky fashion element — buttons.
“Whenever I am dancing with a partner, my hair is always getting stuck on their shirt buttons or their cuff links,” Charity laughs. “There was one time we had to hop off stage because I was tangled up in Andrés’ shirt button! So now, we try to remove my partner’s buttons whenever possible.”
Who knew a little button could wreak so much havoc?
When it comes to her personal style off the dance floor, Charity is a shoe girl.
“I am always either in my Nike Air Force 1s or heels,” Charity says. “I’m short and need the height!”
Charity met Derek Hough on World of Dance, and he invited her to join him on his first 32-city solo tour. She went on to do many more gigs with Derek and is currently on a break from his latest “Symphony of Dance” tour.
When Charity isn’t traveling, the 23-year-old loves choreographing and teaching at her mom’s studio.