Lela has been a dancer her whole life. With that has come not only an understanding of movement, but also recognizing the best clothing for facilitating that movement.

 

Her mother taught her to sew at a young age, and she began making dance clothes, formal wear, and more. She took those skills and further improved them at the University of Montana where she graduated with a degree in Costume Design and Technology in 2010. Lela worked in theater for many years, creating costumes with the integrity and movement required to survive fight choreography and weeks of nightly shows. She also designed and built costumes for a variety of dance forms including ballet, jazz, and contemporary.

In 2013, Lela fell in love with Argentine Tango and the amazing tango community in Montana. She continues to be an eager tango student, as well as teaching regular classes for Butte Tango, the tango community she founded in Butte, Montana in 2021. Now she is taking her love of dance and clothing design and translating it into clothes for tango! You can shop her designs at lelaraedesigns.com and visit her at the Montana Tango Festival in September!