All about men's dancewear

When you enter your local dancewear store, you are likely to see a fair amount of pink, tulle, and glitter.  Things with these attributes are usually placed in sight of little girls entering the store to make them excited.  Just because the pink ruffly things are the first things you see does not mean that they are the only things that the store offers.  Almost all local dancewear stores and online retailers carry dance clothing and shoes for their male customers.  In this post, I will give an overview of some basic men's dancewear items and what styles of dance they are used for.  (Note: I will be talking mostly about ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary/modern, and ballroom dance.  Hip hop is usually freer in dress code, and is therefore excluded).

Dance Belts

Men and teen boys need to wear dance belts under their dancewear.  Dance belts are supportive underwear that is meant to be invisible under tight fitting dance pants.  (Young boys should wear tight fitting brief style underwear instead.  Most dancewear companies make dance belts starting at men's small, which usually fits ages 12 and up.)  Dance belts have either a double layer of fabric or quilting or other padding in the front.  They are generally thong-style in the back.  This ensures that the dance belt does not show under tights or other close fitting bottoms.  Some dance belts have a full back (brief style), but they are less common.  Dance belts usually come in tan, white, and black, and they are made of a cotton or spandex fabric.  It is necessary to wear a dance belt that matches a dancer's skin tone when wearing white tights.  Any male dancer who does ballet, modern, or jazz needs to have a dance belt.  Advanced tap and latin ballroom dancers should wear dance belts too, as these styles are prone to fast and high-impact choreography at advanced levels.

Bottoms: pants, tights, and shorts

jazz pants

dance tights

dance shorts

In general, dance bottoms are tighter than the bottoms that you would choose to wear in everyday situations.  This is because teachers need to be able to see a dancer's body move through the clothing.  It is difficult to see and correct a dancer's placement if he is wearing baggy sweat pants.  Jazz pants are tight fitting from the hips to the knees, then they become flared or boot-cut to the ankle.  Most jazz pants are made of jersey cotton (like sweat pants) or spandex.  Jazz pants are common for jazz, tap, and ballroom.  

Men's dance tights are worn primarily by male ballet dancers.  Men's dance tights are much thicker than women's dance tights.  Men's tights are opaque, not see-through.  They are usually made of cotton or spandex.  Men's tights come in footed, footless, and convertible styles.  These are equivalent to the same styles in women's tights in terms of function.  Full foot covers the whole foot, footless ends at the ankle, and convertible appear full footed, but with an opening in the foot so they can be rolled up.  Some men's tights have suspenders on them so they are guaranteed to stay up during performances.  Men's tights usually come in white and black.  Dancers should wear the same color ballet shoes as tights, especially if the tights are footed.

Dance shorts are another option.  They generally come in "bike" length (mid-thigh) and "capri" length (just above the knee).  Men's dance shorts are usually longer than women's dance shorts in the inseam.  Dance shorts are usually made of spandex, and they are most common in black.  Most dancers choose dance shorts for modern or lyrical, but they are occasionally seen in ballet and jazz as well.

Tops: shirts, leotards, and unitards

dance leotard

dance shirt

dance unitard

Similar to dance bottoms, men's dance tops should be tight fitting.  Leotards are easy to wear because they do not come untucked from bottoms (which gives dancers one less thing to worry about), and some men feel comfortable wearing them without or instead of a dance belt.  Men's leotards are simple tank and short sleeved styles.  They usually come in white and black.  Men's leotards may be cotton or spandex.  Boys and petite men may wear simple women's leotards.  The styling is very much the same for both genders.  Men can wear leotards for ballet, jazz, and modern dance.

Dance shirts are usually made of spandex.  They are stretchy so they can fit tightly to the body.  Dance shirts are usually short sleeved, and they have high crew necks.  Most dance shirts are white or black.  Men can wear dance shirts for all styles, including ballet, tap, modern, ballroom, and jazz.  For most dress codes, shirts must be tucked in, so ensure they are long enough to stay tucked into bottoms.

The last option for top is a dance unitard.  Unitards take care of both the top and bottom clothing.  Men's unitards are usually tank or short sleeved on top, and they can be "bike", "capri", or "ankle" length.  Unitards are usually made of spandex, and they come in many colors.  Some male dancers choose unitards for ballet, jazz, and modern dance.  Many contemporary ballet and modern dance companies choose unitards as costumes for their male dancers as well.

Shoes

Many dance shoes are unisex, meaning that any dancer can wear them.  Only a few varieties (ballroom, occasionally tap) are gendered by style.  Some are also gendered by color.  Generally, if a shoe looks like a "women's" shoe (like a high heeled ballroom shoe), it is probably meant for women.  If a shoe is pink, it is also probably for women.  Most ballet shoes are unisex in style, but men stick to white, black, and tan while women tend to go for pink.  Almost all jazz shoes, modern footwear, oxford or jazz style tap shoes, and oxford style ballroom shoes are unisex.  

Myth vs. Fact: Setting some things straight

There are many myths about the world of dance that fly around and confuse dancers and non-dancers alike.  I will list some of the myths that I hear most often and tell you what the truth really is.

1.  I can go en pointe in my flat ballet slippers.  While you may be able to force your toes to support your weight for a moment, your flat ballet slippers are not meant to allow you to go all the way up onto full pointe.  The highest you should go is up to demi pointe, which is standing on the ball of your foot with your toes flat and your heel raised.  If you attempt to stand on your toes, the shoe will not be supporting you, and you could easily slip and break a toe or worse.  Pointe shoes are made of a hard material that does allow you to stand "on your toes".  This material is much sturdier than what flat shoes are made of, so wait until your teacher says you are ready for the real deal before you stand all the way en pointe.

2.  Pointe shoes are made of wood, metal, or plastic.  On the outside, pointe shoes are made of satin.  The outer sole is made of leather or imitation leather.  When most people claim that pointe shoes are made of wood, metal, or plastic, they are referring to the toe box.  They believe that a very hard material forms the box so it can support a dancer as she works en pointe.  It is true that a hard material forms the box, but on most shoes, that hard material is basically papier mache.  Pieces of fabric (like burlap) are dipped in paste and layered to form the box, which is covered in satin before the shoe is finished.  It is true that some shoes have parts that are wood, metal, or plastic.  Some shoes have shanks made of thin layers of flexible balsa wood.  Some shoes have tiny nails that hold the shank to the outer sole.  Some shoes, like Gaynor Mindens and Sanshas, have plastic components in their shanks.

3.  You have to be skinny to dance.  You absolutely do not have to be skinny to dance.  In order to dance, you must simply be able to move your body.  Even people in wheelchairs enjoy dancing.  Most recreational dance programs will take all students who wish to learn and participate.  In order to dance professionally, you must be fit enough to perform demanding choreography and, depending on the style of dance and specific company, you must be able to fit into costumes and be partnered.  This does not mean you have to be "skinny," but it does mean that as a professional, you generally should be trim and fit for your body type.

4.  I should buy all of my child's dancewear, including shoes, a size big to accommodate growing room.  Most dancewear needs to fit tightly to the body so the child can move easily and the teacher can see the shape of the child's body in order to correct placement.  For very young children, it is ok to have a little growing room in dancewear and shoes, but never so much "growing room" that the clothes are downright baggy or that the shoes are ready to fall off.  For older children (8 and up), teens, and adults, there should be minimal extra room in clothing and shoes should fit snuggly to the foot.  This creates a more aesthetically pleasing line to the foot and body, and it makes it easier to dance without clothing and shoes moving around.

5.  If I don't go professional, I have to quit dance when I graduate from high school.  This is absolutely not true.  If you plan to go to college or start working in your hometown, your studio may let you continue dancing in your current level.  If you move to another town for college or work, take a look at the local studios.  You might have to call around to see what they offer for your age and level, but you will probably find some studios that offer you opportunities to dance with high school and college age dancers, or in an adult class at your level.  Don't underestimate local and community dance companies.  They usually cater to kids and teens still in school, but they often rely on older and more advanced dancers to carry the more difficult parts in the shows they produce.  You may find a great position with one of these companies that keeps you dancing at a high level.

6.  I can't put my son in dance classes because it is not a masculine activity.  While dance does seem like more of a girls' sport (that's right, it is a sport), male dancers are common and necessary.  If you watch a professional performance like a ballet, you will notice that the male dancers are not executing the same movements as the female dancers.  The men perform more athletic movements, and their styles are rarely the same as the flowy and feminine look exuded by the women.  Most male dancers have to develop impressive strength, muscle tone, and aerobic health to succeed as professionals.  Even though most kids in dance class are little girls, what male dancers actually do is very masculine.  Most dance programs that prepare students for professional work are dedicated to working with male students separately to ensure they learn the specifics of what it takes to be a strong male dancer.

Q&A Video

Here it is!  I answer the questions that you submitted.  Here are the topics (in order):

1/2 and 3/4 shank pointe shoes

men's and women's dancewear

How many leotards should a dancer have?

How to start a blog

Exercises to strengthen feet for pointe

What to wear to ballet and other classes

Washing canvas ballet shoes

Tiny Tips: street clothes over dancewear

Taylor Swift rocks some shorts and a hoodie over her dancewear as she heads to a dance fitness class.  But what is on her feet?  Are those ballet shoes?!

Always wear some form of street clothes over your dancewear when you are arriving at or leaving the dance studio.  (If your dancewear looks like street clothes, like jazz pants and a tank top, you're good to go.)  This is especially important if your dancewear is revealing/doesn't completely cover your body in the same way street clothes do.  If you're going right home, at the very least throw on some shorts over your leo and tights or a sweatshirt over your bootie shorts and bra top.  If you're going somewhere after class (like a restaurant), you will probably want to cover your top and bottom with a full, yet simple outfit like some yoga pants pants and a hoodie.  As you already know, dance shoes are not meant to be worn as street shoes.  Always tuck your dance shoes in your dance bag and throw on some clogs or flip flops before leaving the studio.

Capezio Dance News: 10 Lies about pointework

Check out this like from Capezio Dance News:  http://www.capezio.com/spotlight/10-lies-pointe-work/.  This article talks about 10 common myths (lies) regarding pointe work and why they are not true.  Most of these myths continue to circulate among young dancers, and some of them can lead to dangerous situations.  I highly recommend reading this article; it contains a lot of great info.  It is absolutely a must read if you are going to get your first pointe shoes soon!

Leotard sizing guide update: Bloch/Mirella, Motionwear

In their most recent leotard collections, the sizing of Bloch, Mirella, and Motionwear leotards (fashion collections) seem to have changed a little.


Bloch and Mirella, both products of Bloch, INC, previously ran a bit short and wide.  Now the leotards from these brands seem to be running a bit big all over.  If you have a long torso or are thicker in the bust or waist, go with the size listed in the size chart.  If you are short in the torso or very slim, go with one size down.


Motionwear leotards are undergoing a similar change.  They previously ran so small that everyone needed one size up.  The most recent collection is also larger all over.  Now most dancers can wear the size recommended in the size chart.  If you have a very long torso or are very curvy, you will still want to look at one size up.  Additionally, Motionwear leos are currently looking very high cut in the leg.  If you want a leg lengthening look, this will be perfect for you.  But if you are looking for more coverage in the hip area, you will have to go to another brand.





Don't forget to keep submitting your questions for my upcoming Q&A video.  I have about 6 questions so far.  I plan to film the video next weekend and have it up for you by Valentine's Day.

Note that any inappropriate or spam comments/questions will be deleted.