The Importance and Reasons For Dance Studio Dress Codes

1. 84

   talfonsoposted 11 years ago

   
   I believe that form-fitting clothing is a must for dance classes. It helps instructors see anything that needed to be improved and the dancers' forms.
   
   But, how far can this advice go in dancers?
   
   When I was little, I took my first dance classes in loud, skirted leotards. Other students wore black leotards. We were all wearing pink tights underneath them, per ballet tradition. Aside from simply not paying attention, my leotards showed that I had plenty of room for improvement in classes. Keep in mind that this was a ballet/tap combo class. I switched from the ridiculous ones to the plain, black, short-sleeved ones. I stopped dancing when I moved from NJ to FL, but I learned from experience that dress codes improved my dancing.
   
   Take a look at the classes at dance studios nowadays. To me, shorts over leotards in ballet classes (as well as jazz and others) are not really that new. Even in the latter half of the century, for instance, dancers wore them, but the numbers were somewhat sparse. Some studios allow shorts over leotards if Aunt Flo visits them, and some others want just a leotard and pink tights.
   
   Crop tops, especially bra tops, are relatively not new things that dancers wear to classes either. Take a look at any 80's movie with a dance class or rehearsal scene, for instance. (The 1985 film adaptation of A Chorus Line comes to mind.) Even if the numbers were smaller than recent times, dancers wore them back then, particularly if they pair them with pantylike dance briefs.
   
   Kids as young as 5-7 year old are adapting this trend, and I bet that some of you are worried about it. While some teachers are aware that bra tops are becoming the choice classwear, some studios ban them. That's in spite of the fact that they can allow the teachers to see their forms!
   
   Childhood experience aside, dress codes in dance studios really helped me improve my dancing.
   
   So, how important is dress code in you dance studio and why? In ballet classes, does it only allow what I wore in latter classes - the traditional black leotards, pink slippers, pink tights, and nothing else? What does it allow for jazz, tap, lyrical, and other classes?

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2. 70

   Cagsilposted 11 years ago

   The traditional attire is all about "professionalism" with regards to the art of dance.

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   1. 84

      talfonsoposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well simply put! I found out about 3-5 classes into my dance school days that I wasn't looking professional and there fore I wasn't acting professional. So that's why I switched from the "cute" leotards to the boring-yet-practical black ones!

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