Class Attire

[Joseph11]

Have been wanting to ask this question for a while. In an adult class, is it appropriate to wear other than black and white?

 

I have noticed in some of the Dance Magazines featuring photos of male dancers that sometimes the men are wearing blue tights (differnt shades) or different colored shirts with black tights. I have especially noticed this in photos at professional schools.

 

I certainly do not want to be disrepctful of tradition, but at my school, adults (mostly women) seem to wear a broad range of outfits - mostly traditional leotard and tights, occasional skirt, but also sweatpants and t-shirts. The few guys we have in adult class (myself included) tend to stick to the traditional black tights (or black bike shorts) and white t-shirt.

 

I really don't mind wearing black and white, but it would be nice to have a choice once in a while.

 

Also, I am not talking about coming to class dressed in some sort of psychodelic (sp?), bright neon, revealing, attention getting sort of thing! Modest plain color (Blue in particular) is all I am asking about here!

 

Thank you!

[Guest pino1]

Have been wanting to ask this question for a while. In an adult class, is it appropriate to wear other than black and white?

 

 

 

I personally don't have anything against other attires in my ballet class. I think it is good to encourage individuality in any art form. But if the required outfit is black and white in my school, then I will have to respect that. If I really want to wear something else then I will ask my instructor. I look good in black tights and white shirt anyway. I won't be able to afford all sorts of colors to wear on the other hand.

Edited October 10, 2006 by pino1

[balletboyrhys]

Most teachers wouldnt mind too much as long as it didn't get outlandish and distracting (one of my teachers says "no 80's aerobocise gear!"). I would just ask they teacher if you're really concerned about it. I can wear pretty much whatever colors i want, but i tend to stick to black and white. i guess im just dull.

[Chronus24]

I always wear black tights, but as for shirts I wear black, white, navy blue, and burgundy...looks nice I think

[Mel Johnson]

When I was a student, my favorite tights color for class was grey. My teacher liked it because it allowed her to see more muscle detail in how my legs were working. But, I asked permission first! And when visiting, I always started with "the uniform", and see what the Romans did before wearing other garb.

[MJ]

I got a whole bunch of grey tights at the capezio outlet. They do give a good outline of the leg.

On a sultry, steamy afternoon this summer, I took class in a humid studio. Every spot my foot touched my leg left a mark. My tights were filthy at the end of class, but you could see where I was placing my foot for passe' and develope'.

 

I usually wear all black, I like the clean look of a coontinuous line. White socks cuts off the line.

 

Mike

[Garyecht]

Well, when talking about adult ballet students, which to me means someone who is independent and has a job (stay at home mom is a job in my book also) and pays rent or a mortgage, one can wear just about anything to class in my opinion. We adults do tend to conform to whatever the norm is in the class, being self-conscious at the beginning. For guys that is a little harder because there are so few of us.

 

When I started, I costumed myself in the school recommended costume. Essentially, I didn’t know any better and really didn’t care what I wore. I had been a bicycle racer who spent a great deal of time wearing a lycra “skin suit,” so the thought of wearing tights didn’t bother me for a second. The concept of a dance belt did take some getting used to, however.

 

A few years later my costume morphed mostly from pure sloth. I was taking both jazz and modern classes in addition to ballet and wanted one costume I could wear for all. Wound up with t-shirt and various pants ranging from sorta tight to jazz pants. Being older, I knew black was a flattering color so everything was black. That later morphed to a panoply of color in t-shirts, but have always liked black best.

 

My most outrageous costume came one day when I walked into the dressing room to change, opened my bag, and discovered I had forgotten to put any dance clothes in the bag before I left home. I always kept ballet slippers in my bag, so they were there. Went to class in street clothes and ballet slippers. First comment was something to the effect guess you forgot your dance clothes. I said yep, we laughed, talked of similar experiences and went on with class.

[Joseph11]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. It has given me much "food for thought"!

 

(Not sure where I would find blue tights or blue t-shirts anyway!)

 

For the time being, I will be staying with the school uniform for boys (men) - black tights, white t-shirt.

 

Have a great week!

[2 Left Feet]

Here in LA anything seems to go. In one school I attend, guys show up looking like they stepped out of an ABT class photoshoot: an array of clothes, headbands and layers. At another school the dress code is pretty lax but the guys have adopted a self-imposed, very traditional dress code. I tend to stick to black tights but T-shirts get expressive. T-shirts pretty much have gravitated toward whatever I find on the floor at home that doesn't get up and walk away on it's own

 

I do have a funny story about colored tights. I went through a phase where I wanted all kinds of color. I had a pair of powder-blue tights. I loved them but they weren't the most flattering in the hind quarter area. It took a while to realize why the ladies in class liked them so much and why my teacher always got flustered when I wore them. I finally figured out certain areas of the anatomy became, well, lets just say things looked more impressive than they really are. Once I figured that out I never wore them again.

 

I gotta admit, I'm laughing just thinking about it now.

 

Blue tights are easy to find. M Stevens makes some nice ones, and you can order them on line from Baltogs, etc. Take it from experience, stick to a dark or royal blue and don't get too adventurous.

[Guest TheBalletGuy]

In the place I grew up dancing in we worked on the Cecchetti Method. We were only allowed to wear black for the bottom. Now in the place that I teach I do allow some Colour on occasion but for an adult class I think most would be okay with it. Just ask your teacher or instructor.