audition attire....tights and shoes

[Gremlin]

The time has come once again. I must rethink what my son is wearing. He has an audition in June for a very important year round school. The competition is extremely tough. His current school basically allows he and the other boy to wear whatever they want. I have always kept my son in black tights, trouser socks and white wick shirts, but the school doesn't care what color the socks or shoes are.

 

Shoe question.......School #2 prefers split sole canvas shoes, so that is what he wears. Currently they are in the color black. I have read recently that white is the prefered color at most schools (at least in America....note I am not in America). I can order white, but can anyone with experience on auditions please tell me which is prefered by auditioners.........canvas or leather uppers? full soled or split soled? My son just got the canvas split soles this week and loves the fit. He says he never wants to go back to full soled. Feet seem to be really important to this auditioning school as the teacher preparing him is really concentrating on the feet. Any advice is appreciated.

 

tights question........As with most people on the boards, finding a good tight that does not show through is difficult for a boy. My son gave up on "unisex" tights (even wearing 2 pair at a time for more coverage) and went to a Baltogs footless stirrup pant that is form fitted to the legs (I think they are advertised to be more of an iceskating pant). They work well for him and the teachers do not have a problem with them. However, I don't think the auditioner will like the way this stirrup pant looks. My son really hates footed tights as he also wears trouser socks and the feel of 2 layers throws him off. WHat I was thinking of is a footless tight. Can someone with audition experience please help me choose the right kind of tight that is footless?

 

Since my son will most likely be wearing a totally footless (no stirrup) tight with trouser socks, exactly how is he to wear the socks in relation to the tight? Do the socks go underneath the tight (as he does now)?

 

One last question about shoes.......My son just got his first pair of shoes with double elastic straps. I know that the straps are to be criss crossed, but I have no idea where on the shoe to sew them. Can someone please describe the proper placement on the shoe? Also, does it matter which strap is on top? Sorry for the strange questions. Thanks for the help in advance.

[cmtaka]

Hi another Mom here. Got my son to look over my shoulder at your post. He said as does Major Mel, white shoes and socks with black tights. It shows your feet and arches off and allows the people auditioning you to see how the dancer is working their feet. MStevens tights are thick enough for guys and I use them when I costume. They are a heavy lycra but not as heavy as ice skating pants. I would be afraid that the heavier pants would flatten out the muscle definition on your son's legs and not allow the auditioners to see how he is working the leg.

 

You can split or cut the MStevens tights and they do not have a tendency to run. My son wears a thin sock slightly below the ankle bone with the black tights underneath. He said a lot of people had the socks that went to right under the claf muscle. He spent 3 years at Joffrey and that was their dress code.

 

The shoe split/canvas/full/leather is up to your son. What ever he feels more comfortable in.

 

Then a form fitting white shirt either short sleeved or tank tucked in with the tights held with a belt that you then roll your tights over.

 

If you are really concerned I would call the school or get the name of a mom who has a son there and ask what is the acceptable audition attire.

[tsavoie]

My son wears m.stevns tights also. He gets the footed ones and cuts them off to fit to his ankle, and sometimes his calves. He usually doesn't wear socks. Also on the elastics, he wears grishko canvas in white. The elastics are sewn on one end when they arrive. He knots the other end and then twists them under his foot under the arch. I don't know if that makes sense. My younger son just has me cross them over the top of his arch and tack them down-its around the seam on the side of the shoe.

[balletboyrhys]

as a male teenage ballet dancer, i wear m. stevens footed tights and cut a small hole in the bottom of the foot so the tights are convertable footless/footed i wear fuzi split sole canvas soft shoes. sometimes iw ear white ankle socks depending on the teacher. i have both white and black shoes and wear white tight fitting t-shirts to class. hope this helped.

[Gremlin]

Thanks everyone. I feel as if we are ok with the shoes and socks dept (just need to switch to white shoes). I will go in search of some M. Stevens tights.

[robinmc]

Capezio makes a nice male tight with seams not the c10, which is thick and my son likes much more than the m.stevens tights. He wears a tight white compression shirt either tank or short sleeves, which is very tight and wicks the sweat away, capezio tights which he has made into convertable tights by cutting a small slit at the bottom of the tights near the arch, white crew socks and white canvas ballet shoes ( he loves the russian pointe canvas split soles), but their are several different brands of ballet shoes which come in white. He also wears a thick elastic which was made into a belt and rolls his tights down to his natural waist.

 

Good luck with the audition.

[tsavoie]

I tried capezio for my son, and he hated them. Said they were too thin. I would guess that is a matter of personal taste. I have bought him also body wrappers, but he seems to like the m.stevens the best.

[Gremlin]

I tried capezio for my son, and he hated them.  Said they were too thin.  I would guess that is a matter of personal taste.  I have bought him also body wrappers, but he seems to like the m.stevens the best.

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On the M. Stevens tights. I think I saw on the Men's forum (can't find thread now), that the one to order was the milliskin. Can anyone verify this?

 

Also, I keep reading that unisex is not always so. I see on some sites that M. Stevens is under catagory of Mens, yet on other sites I see it listed under womens as unisex. Are they the same?

 

My son is right at 5ft tall and very thin (slow grower). What size will he need? Just needing a little assistance.

[tsavoie]

milliskin is the stuff you want if you are looking for a thicker tight. I usually order men's sizes for my son. He is bigger than your son now, but he wore a small men's at the 5 foot size and they fit. He too is very thin, but they seemed to fit well. If you try the unisex, let me know how they fit. I have seen them in catalogs, but have never bought them.

[MJ]

Gremlin,

 

Best of luck to your son. I've seen videos of boys classes in russia and they wear black shoes, footed black tights, and a white short sleeve unitard. (tights over unitard). tights are held up with a belt and the tights rolled over the belt.

 

In America and Britain boys wear white shoes and short white trouser socks.

 

Your son does not want to hide anything. all clothing should be form fitting this shows detail and professionalism.

 

Have your son put his shoes on, tie the elastics together and cross them over, see where they give him the best arch. Dancers cross over their elastics for safety and to give the best possible arch on their feet. Then sew them in where they crossed over.

 

Call the studio, and ask what boy students wear to class. You can always make up a name if you care not to be identified. After they respond "almost anything" ask them what would be the perfect uniform in their eyes.

 

M. Stevens are the best tights, very opaque and very comfortable. Look for Nylon Lycra or Meryl tights.

 

Make your son take class in the uniform to make sure he is comfortable in it.

 

Don't make too big a deal about this to your son, tell him to do his best and you will be very proud of him whatever happens.

 

MJ

[Gremlin]

Gremlin,

 

Best of luck to your son.  I've seen videos of boys classes in russia and they wear black shoes, footed black tights, and a white short sleeve unitard. (tights over unitard). tights are held up with a belt and the tights rolled over the belt.

 

 

 

Your son does not want to hide anything. all clothing should be form fitting this shows detail and professionalism.

 

Have your son put his shoes on, tie the elastics together and cross them over, see where they give him the best arch. Dancers cross over their elastics for safety and to give the best possible arch on their feet. Then sew them in where they crossed over.

 

 

M. Stevens are the best tights, very opaque and very comfortable. Look for Nylon Lycra or Meryl tights.

 

Make your son take class in the uniform to make sure he is comfortable in it.

 

Don't make too big a deal about this to your son, tell him to do his best and you will be very proud of him whatever happens.

 

MJ

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Thanks for the info. My son had a class last night and was able to communicate with his teacher. She in fact told him the auditioning school wants black tights, black socks and black shoes....white shirt (his shirt is tight fitting and tucked in and stays). We had everything right except the socks were white He has been wearing the elastic belt since his switch to tights. Getting used to this uniform will not be an issue.

 

I was just concerned with the shoe type, color and sock color.......and of course, I wanted him to be in the right kind of tights. What he was wearing was form fitting, but more of a cotton material like a t-shirt.

 

I'm very calm about the audition coming up (except braving the downtown area and public transportation ). He has worked very hard to get where he is now. If he is accepted, I will be proud of him. If he does not make it, he knows he can try again next year.....and I will still be proud of him. Miracles do not happen overnight (he was completely retrained this year). The stressful part was assuring I could find everything I needed on the internet and find a site that delivered to my address.......in the amount of time I needed it by. He is due for new clothes anyway, so this is a good opportunity to get him interested in something new.....which the tights will be a small adjustment due to the material.

 

Question..........I bought the M. Stevens in a footless because my son hates his tights going to the feet and the added layer due to the socks. Got the milliskin. How durable is this material? He is used to the cotton t-shirt type material and being able to just pull and tug any old way to get them on. Will he have to be extra careful to avoid snags and runs with this milliskin? At $23 a pop, I fear we will be in the poor house with this kid. I bought 2 pair to start him off for a trial. I remember when he had the eval with Ms. Leigh last year. He was in regular tights (with feet) back then. When he put his tights on, he put a gigantic run in the leg....finger went right through! Luckily mom had a spare pair.

 

The new tights should be here next week. I will give an update on what he thinks of them.

[cmtaka]

The M. Stevens tights last forever and don't really run like the other types of tights. They will eventually if the dancer makes a hole at the knee from falling... The area that seems to have the most problem is the crotch seam splits and you have to resew it. You can however just throw them in the washer and dryer just like the cotton ones.

[tsavoie]

My son started the year with 5 pairs of tights, 3 are still in perfectly fine shape and...he does his own laundry. I think your biggest problem with them will be him growing out of them. THe milliskin holds its shape well and is thick enough that runs are not a problem at all.

[BarreTalk]

The M. Stevens tights last forever and don't really run like the other types of tights.  They will eventually if the dancer makes a hole at the knee from falling...  The area that seems to have the most problem is the crotch seam splits and you have to resew it.  You can however just throw them in the washer and dryer just like the cotton ones.

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Most of my tights, including MStevens eventually die due to a seam ripping out in the foot area. Since your son likes footless tights, he won't have that problem.

 

I'd recommend washing Milliskin tights in cold water and hang drying instead of subjecting them to the excessive heat of a dryer. Milliskin is a Lycra-like material, and like all 6 way stretch fabrics, shouldn't be exposed to heat.

[Gremlin]

 

I'd recommend washing Milliskin tights in cold water and hang drying instead of subjecting them to the excessive heat of a dryer. Milliskin is a Lycra-like material, and like all 6 way stretch fabrics, shouldn't be exposed to heat.

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I can not thank you enough for this bit of information. It never crossed my mind.