Dancewear tips
Wondering what to wear at adult dance classes? Look no further, here are tips and ideas on how to dress suitably for dance class without feeling too exposed and without preventing your teacher from being able to give you feedback...
[Photo illustrations coming soon!]
Footwear for ballet: if you don't own ballet shoes yet, make sure you take some socks along instead.
Now let's consider your garments options, aiming for your comfort whilst also allowing for your teacher's gaze to support you in class.
Thought no 1: Loose fitting garments are comfy, but too loose is counter-productive!
If you're looking for loose fitting garments for dance classes, bear in mind that your teacher still needs to be able to see enough of your body contours in order to help you with posture and to tailor their advice to your own anatomy.
Also bear in mind that you don't want excess fabric to prevent you from moving!
For tops, jersey fabrics (T-shirt fabrics) are your friend, opt for:
Thought no 2: Tight garments serve a few purposes but don't need to let you feel exposed!
Tightness provides support and compression, which has been shown to help with muscle performance and recovery (see here for more information on compression wear). So tight fitted garments are definitely an option you might want to consider. It also makes your teacher's job to see and understand your body a lot easier!
Unsurprisingly, leotards and tights are great for ballet.
Tights can be footed, footless, stirrup-ed or convertible (with a hole under the arch, so they can be worn footed and footless if rolled up) - personally, I often use regular opaque gusseted seamless city tights (with invisible panty lines) off which I simply cut the feet to get my preferred 3/4 length (and I promise, they don't automatically run).
If leotards and tights feel like a step too far for you but you'd like the compression, you can choose yoga attire like sports T-shirt and leggings.
For ballet, if you'd like to benefit from the support of leotard and tights but without feeling exposed, you could go for covering them up with:
Tops (and in particular for ballet) :
Thought no 3: Layer up for warmth and for the ability to shed layers as you get warmer!
Typically, in a ballet class, you can wear loose garments from thought no 1 atop your leotard and tights for the barre, and switch to options of thought no 2 for the centre.
Thought no 4: Let your underwear help you!
Sports underwear designed to follow your movements are usually best.
Female anatomy: you might find that extra bust support feels necessary, whether or not you wear a leotard. If so, opt for a sports bra (from medium to strong support, depending on bust size).
People differ widely as far as underpants under leotards go: some wear none, some wear thongs, some wear briefs. If you opt for briefs, make sure the leg openings don't go too low over the fold of the hip joint, as it will get uncomfortable when you move if they do.
Male anatomy: dance belts provide support, concealment, and protection, and are a must if you're wearing ballet tights (I'm not sure about contemporary dancers wearing joggers/trousers, but it seems to me that support might be a good idea?). If you're new to dancing and dance belts seem like a mystery to you, or outright unnecessary, then head here, where you'll find all you need to know about dance belts.
Footwear for ballet: if you don't own ballet shoes yet, make sure you take some socks along instead.
Now let's consider your garments options, aiming for your comfort whilst also allowing for your teacher's gaze to support you in class.
Thought no 1: Loose fitting garments are comfy, but too loose is counter-productive!
If you're looking for loose fitting garments for dance classes, bear in mind that your teacher still needs to be able to see enough of your body contours in order to help you with posture and to tailor their advice to your own anatomy.
Also bear in mind that you don't want excess fabric to prevent you from moving!
For tops, jersey fabrics (T-shirt fabrics) are your friend, opt for:
- jersey T-shirts. I have found that whatever the fibre content (personally I like natural fibres best), raglan sleeves T-shirts are those that allow best freedom of movement as the arm seam is on the bias.
- jersey tunics with side-slits or lower hem at the back; the slits or irregular hem will still allow for freedom of movement around the hips
For bottoms, you can opt for :
- cuffed joggers
- straight leg elastane-rich jersey gym trousers
- pyjama bottoms, if they're cuffed and elastane-rich (else they'll be too baggy)
- bootcut leg elastane-rich jersey gym trousers are also nice, but the slight bell bottoms might come in your way, especially if they're a little bit on the long side.
I personally like the 3/4 or 7/8 cropped lengths that leave the ankles bare (coupled with ankle warmers if needed, which can be removed at will), as I feel they lengthen the leg by displaying a unified ankle/cou-de-pied look.
Thought no 2: Tight garments serve a few purposes but don't need to let you feel exposed!
Tightness provides support and compression, which has been shown to help with muscle performance and recovery (see here for more information on compression wear). So tight fitted garments are definitely an option you might want to consider. It also makes your teacher's job to see and understand your body a lot easier!
Unsurprisingly, leotards and tights are great for ballet.
Tights can be footed, footless, stirrup-ed or convertible (with a hole under the arch, so they can be worn footed and footless if rolled up) - personally, I often use regular opaque gusseted seamless city tights (with invisible panty lines) off which I simply cut the feet to get my preferred 3/4 length (and I promise, they don't automatically run).
If leotards and tights feel like a step too far for you but you'd like the compression, you can choose yoga attire like sports T-shirt and leggings.
For ballet, if you'd like to benefit from the support of leotard and tights but without feeling exposed, you could go for covering them up with:
Tops (and in particular for ballet) :
- short beach cover-ups (they have the advantage of covering you up all the way down to the top of the thighs without concealing you entirely from your teacher's expert gaze) - typically longer crochet/open knit tunics do the job well.
Bottoms (and in particular for ballet) :
- shorts
- skorts (combined short-skirts used e.g. for tennis, netball, jogging, yoga)
- if you like the chiffon ballet skirt look but feel it's a bit exposing, wear one on top of yoga shorts
Thought no 3: Layer up for warmth and for the ability to shed layers as you get warmer!
Typically, in a ballet class, you can wear loose garments from thought no 1 atop your leotard and tights for the barre, and switch to options of thought no 2 for the centre.
Thought no 4: Let your underwear help you!
Sports underwear designed to follow your movements are usually best.
Female anatomy: you might find that extra bust support feels necessary, whether or not you wear a leotard. If so, opt for a sports bra (from medium to strong support, depending on bust size).
People differ widely as far as underpants under leotards go: some wear none, some wear thongs, some wear briefs. If you opt for briefs, make sure the leg openings don't go too low over the fold of the hip joint, as it will get uncomfortable when you move if they do.
Male anatomy: dance belts provide support, concealment, and protection, and are a must if you're wearing ballet tights (I'm not sure about contemporary dancers wearing joggers/trousers, but it seems to me that support might be a good idea?). If you're new to dancing and dance belts seem like a mystery to you, or outright unnecessary, then head here, where you'll find all you need to know about dance belts.
Extra tips - (DON'Ts):
- avoid floaty hareem pants, granted they look nice, but your feet might get caught in the extra fabric of the legs and trip you over (trust me, I tested it for you and stumbled quite dramatically out of a turn when being conscientious about sliding my foot along my leg coming down from passé position ...)
- avoid floaty A-line tunics, here too, this looks nice but they'll get in your way when you turn (again, I've tested it for you, with a simple jersey A-line tunic, and it felt like the fabric was lagging behind and affecting my sense of balance in turns)
- avoid non-stretch cottons and linen (particularly for tops), they'll potentially restrict your movements as well as camouflage you too much for your teacher's (otherwise skilful X-ray) gaze! If you prefer natural fibres, go the jersey route.
- for contemporary classes, avoid chunky knits, open knits, crochet (whether tops or bottoms), and tights, they will chafe in floor work! (also tested for you, and definitely not recommended)
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