What is the difference between a ballet leotard and a gymnastics leotard?

I’ve seen it happen all too often.  A parent signs her daughter up for gymnastics classes, then goes to the dancewear store to find a leotard.  However, every beautiful shimmering piece the sales girl offers costs at least $45 and that’s too much to spend on a 3-year-old’s outfit when she may quit after the first lesson.  There is a rack of perfectly good cotton leotards a few feet over, and they only cost $15, so that is what the little one will wear to her first gymnastics class. 

It also happens the other way around. A parent takes her toddler to the dancewear store to find an outfit for ballet.  Even though all the other dancers will be wearing neat cotton leotards, the young dancer demands the glittery purple gymnastics leo and ends up going to class dressed inappropriately. 

Situations like these could easily be avoided if parents and dancers understood the differences between leotards meant for different activities. (I don’t blame anyone for not knowing the difference; I just want to help dancers and their parents have a deeper understanding of dance and dancewear.)   A combination of tradition, aesthetics, and function denote what students should wear for each activity.  Wearing the appropriate leotard is important as it shows discipline, respect for the activity, reduces distractions, and enhances the child’s ability to fully participate.

Gymnastics leotards are always made of shiny spandex or velvet material and come in two cuts: tank and long sleeve.  Usually students wear tank leotards for lessons and practice and long sleeves for competitions and performances.  A young girl taking gymnastics for the first time should get a tank style leotard.  Gymnastics leotards also usually come in very bright colors and fancy patterns.  Sometimes shorts unitards (bodywear garments that have a bike-short like bottom instead of a brief “underwear” cut) are also appropriate for gymnastics, but I recommend getting a leotard for the first class.  Shorts can be worn over if the dress code allows. 

It is important for gymnastics leotards to be quite tight fitting because it is a safety hazard for students to wear anything loose that could get caught on equipment.  A student’s leotard needs to fit tightly with no extra room in the straps/sleeves or bottom.  It is also necessary for bodywear to be slippery enough to allow the student to easily glide on equipment like bars.  Spandex and velvet accommodate swift movement, while cotton generally does not. 

Ballet (or dance) leotards come in many different styles and may be made of cotton, spandex, or occasionally lace, mesh, or velvet.  Dance leos geared toward young children often come in tank, short sleeve, and long sleeve styles.  There are also camisole (spaghetti strap) and ¾ sleeve styles, but they are often geared toward teen and adult dancers.  Little girls starting ballet are usually required to wear soft or classical colors like baby pink, white, or black. 

For ballet, it is extremely important that a dancer be comfortable and able to move easily.  It is also essential to the art that students dress in line with the dress code requirements.  While gymnastics is to some extent about being individual and standing out while in a supportive team environment, ballet is all about fitting in and following the rules for a seamless production.  Part of basic ballet training is learning how to be in costume and move in unison with other dancers. 

Also, dance leotards often have details like rhinestones, ribbons, lace, and strappy backs that look super cute.  Because ballet/dance does not use tumbling equipment, these decorations are safe.  Wearing a leotard with decorations to gymnastics or while using tumbling equipment can be dangerous (students can get caught on bars, etc) and lead to injury.

The bottom line is that it is not acceptable to wear a gymnastics leotard to ballet or a ballet leotard to gymnastics.  Unfortunately, gymnastics leotards are much more expensive than ballet leotards (a basic gym leo is about $30, even for little kids, while a basic cotton ballet leo runs about $13 for toddler sizes).  However, the spandex fabric of gymnastics leos usually washes better and holds its shape and color for longer than basic cotton ballet leotards. 

If you are on a very tight budget, it is much wiser to dress a young gymnast in a simple one-piece swimsuit (with tank straps and no logos or sewn-on details) than a cotton dance leotard.  Kids’ swimwear generally comes in bright colors and is made of slick spandex, so it performs well and does not look out of place in a gym.  Of course, I recommend eventually investing in a nice gym leo or two if the little one sticks with gymnastics.

If the dancer is not jazzed about her plain ballet leotard, help her dress up her look a little with a bedazzled bun cover or chiffon skirt if the dress code allows.  You may also show her some pictures of pre-pro students in class and point out that they all have to wear their uniforms too.