Dancing is more than just remembering moves and following rules. It’s about complete immersion in what you do on stage, but most importantly, it’s about being comfortable while doing all that. And while confidence plays a huge role in all of this, it’s the clothes that can contribute to your comfort when dancing.
Since there are different types of dancing, different dance apparel will be needed, so that dancers can feel comfortable and flexible while rehearsing or performing. That being said, ballet and jazz dance costumes are all about providing the required flexibility while looking high end.
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Contents
Things to Look for in a Ballet Dance Apparel
Comfort
Ballerinas are known for specific dancing techniques which ask for maximum freedom of movement. A dance costume that causes you to worry about it all the time is surely not the right choice, neither for rehearsals nor for performances on the stage. A carefully chosen and comfortable attire, on the other hand, will not only make you look appealing but it can also boost your confidence and give you the opportunity to show yourself in the best light.
Types of Rehearsing and Stage Apparel
When in class, you should avoid wearing dressy costumes like a tutu or some other dressier dancewear. Instead, try to make things simple by wearing leotards, tights and shoes. A good dance costume even for rehearsals would be the modern briefs which are a fashion-forward alternative to the classic leotard and you can pair these with a soft and dance appropriate crop top.
While performing, tights are more often than not a mandatory part of dancewear. They are the most common choice since they can provide you with flexibility without making you feel uncomfortable. However, the dance performance costumes are more than just tights and leotards. Exquisitely crafted skirts, tutu costumes, lace costumes, performance briefs and leggings are just a drop in the sea of performance dance apparel.
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Things to Look for in a Jazz Dance Apparel
Types of Jazz Dance Clothing
Unlike ballet which is all about those delicate and graceful moves, jazz dance gives more freedom to dancers. This explains the freer apparel choice you have as a jazz dancer. Since nowadays, there are many forms of jazz dance like old-fashioned jazz, modern jazz and street jazz, the choice of jazz dancewear has also expanded.
Today’s jazz dancewear is all about dancing with well-fitted, bright and sexy dance performance costumes. Since jazz dance concentrates on every movement of your body, wearing fluffed skirts and layered dancewear simply won’t work. Instead, jazz dance apparel consists more of leotard pants, crop-tops, palazzo pants (which can be worn outside the rehearsals as well), booty shorts, halter tops, and so on. Now, the key for feeling comfortable while dancing in this apparel is for them to be made of a stretchy material that will allow ease of movement. Regarding their look, this type of dance allows for them to be adorned with sequins and crystals in order to make them dressier and more shimmery.
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Other Important Things to Consider
Where Can I Buy Dance Costumes?
The ideal way to shop for dance costumes is online, as the number of traditional offline stores isn’t that huge and the choices are poorer. The only thing you need to take into account is to find a reliable and trusted store. One that can provide you with dance performance costumes made of high-quality and non-irritable materials.
How to Wash Dance Costumes
Because of the delicate fabrics, all dance attire should be hand washed. However, there are some other tricks and tips that can help you have a clean costume even when not entirely washed.
The Shoes
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Ballet Shoes
As we all know, ballerinas are well known for their toe-petite moves, and this toe work cannot be perfectioned without the right pair of ballet shoes. Known as pointe shoes, these sturdy shoes with a square toe-shoe part are the only pair of shoes ballerinas need. They can be made from a wide range of materials like leather, suede, satin and canvas. Out of all these materials, the leather pointe shoes (also known as ballerina slippers) are considered the most durable and long-lasting.
Jazz Shoes
Just like ballet, jazz dance requires choosing the right jazz shoes. They come in a variety of styles and some of them are so lightly crafted, thus giving you the feeling that you are wearing no shoes. You can choose from a low rise, high rise and slip-on shoes. Unlike ballet shoes that have a full-sole, jazz shoes can come in split and full-sole. When compared to the full-sole jazz shoes, the split one is designed to give you more flexibility and increase your motion. However, if you are a beginner, or you want to buy jazz shoes for your little one, it is best to choose ones with a rubber sole as it provides more traction while cushioning the foot at the same time.
