The winner of the dance sig contest has been crowned, and the lord of the dance is
DeBaron8!
As DeBaron8 aptly noted by placing quotation marks around the word
dance in the title, this fiery beauty isn't necessarily about dancing in the more traditional sense of the word but rather is more of a depiction of a common tough-guy taunt to start a fight and what better tough guy to use for this than Roronoa Zoro from
One Piece? This is an excellent choice of stock as, while I know from my knowledge of the character that he is probably about to fight, one ignorant of the character could see Zoro in that pose and think that he is a flame sword dancer. The look on his face is both playful and murderous. If you accept his offer to dance under this moon-filled sky, there's no telling what will happen!
In terms of technique, "Let's 'Dance'" is straightforward, yet mesmerizing. The orientation of stock image is tilted, and while this may just be so that it fits better into the imposed dimensions of the medium, I think it actually makes the image look far more dynamic. Plus, at this angle and magnification, the swords make an excellent framing device, accentuating the center and Zoro's toned musculature which lack prominence in the original image. The glow effects added make the entire scene pop out with the red-orange glow on and around Zoro strengthening the feeling of the fire being nearby and the more intense glow on the moon supplying a vividly intense flavor of passion. I especially like the way the swords gleam amidst the flames, thus underscoring Zoro's quintessential swordsmanship and again drawing the attention to the center where the viewer's gaze naturally falls upon the text. The addition of the sparkling embers of the fractal dancing in the air give the image that sense of whimsical beauty that is always a crowd pleaser. Here's a life lesson to take with you: sparkles make everything better.
Congratulations, DeBaron8, on this, your very first victory in the Sig Contest! Your skills as an artist have come a long way since you started. You took a good image and made it amazing: the mark of a truly talented artist. Keep on dazzling and never stop dancing to your own rhythm!
There is still one week left on the sand theme. From the posts in this thread, it seems like there are some very interesting submissions on the way. For all those standing on the sidelines, don't bury your heads in the sand; come and join the fun before it's too late!
And thanks so much Tsukisama for your lovely commentary. 
You could really do well as a writer if you're not already. Your words were beautiful and made me feel much better about my sig, since I thought I relied on the stock a bit more than I'd like to. But it is probably the best sig I ever made so I'm very happy. XD 
Congrats DeBaron8!!! 
Is it a busy time for everyone?
