Proper terms for dancewear

Just like with any sport or activity, there are many names associated with the supplies a dancer needs to participate in their activities.  As we enter the back-to-dance shopping season, it’s important to learn the proper names of dancewear items so you can ask for them at the dancewear store.  There’s never an expectation for a new dancer or family members to know the proper name of each dancewear item, but I must admit it’s pretty hilarious to hear some of the misnomers people have come up with.  In this guide, I’ll go over the proper names for common items (as well as common incorrect names).

1.       Leotard

Incorrect: suit, bodysuit, legatard, unitard (see my post on the difference between leotards and unitards here)

Almost all female dancers taking ballet will need a leotard, and some male dancers will need them as well.  Most leotards are made specifically to be dance garments, and they are not intended for use as “regular clothing” or swimwear, which is why most other common terms used to identify them are incorrect.

2.       Tights

Incorrect: leotards, legatards, stockings, pantyhose, leggings (this one’s complicated, see below)

Tights are perhaps the most ubiquitous of dancewear items.  Female dancers always need them for ballet, and they often wear tights for jazz, tap, contemporary, and ballroom as well.  Tights come in many styles like full-footed, convertible, and footless (see my full run-down here).  Like leotards, dance tights are made specifically for athletic performance.  They are thicker and more opaque than fashion tights, and while dance tights can be worn under dresses for “regular clothing” looks, they are not meant for this. 

Male dancers wear tights for ballet as well.  Men’s tights come in footed, footless, and occasionally convertible designs, and they are fully opaque.  Men’s tights often resemble women’s fashion or athletic leggings, but they are cut to accommodate men’s bodies.  Even though these garments look like leggings, they are more appropriately called tights.

If you are an athlete or have spent time browsing the lululemon website, you may be familiar with running tights, which throw a wrench in the terminology game.  Running tights are like men’s dance tights, but they are offered for both men and women.  On women, fully opaque form-fitting legwear is usually called leggings, but for whatever reason, some retailers sell them with the name tights.  Garments like this are becoming more and more common in dance as dancers perform more athletic movements and grow to appreciate athletic wear as dancewear.

So, in the final breakdown, if it’s slightly see-through, paired with a leotard, and worn by a woman, it’s tights.  If it’s opaque and on a man, it’s tights.  If it’s opaque and on a woman, it’s probably leggings, but you could also call it tights is the rest of the outfit is athletic.

3.       Shoes

There are many types of dance shoes, which I’ll address below.  It is very important to know the proper name of your specific type of shoes.  Never, ever go into the dance store and ask for “dance shoes.”  The salespeople will not know what to show you, as every shoe in the store is a dance shoe!

a.       Ballet shoes

Correct: ballet shoes, flat shoes, technique shoes (you may notice I use these terms interchangeably on this site)

Incorrect: ballerina shoes

All ballet students need ballet shoes regardless of age, gender, or ability.  In general, female students wear pink (actually a peachy-tan color) ballet shoes, and male students wear black or white ballet shoes. 

In general, beginning ballet students call ballet shoes ballet shoes, and more advanced dancers who study pointe call their ballet shoes flat or technique shoes to differentiate them from their pointe shoes.

b.      Pointe shoes

Correct: pointe shoes

Incorrect: ballet shoes, toe shoes, pointy/pointed shoes, ballerina shoes

Only advanced dancers use pointe shoes, and they will never be on the shopping list for a student who is just beginning.  Among dance store workers, having a customer ask for or about pointe shoes without using proper terminology is a red flag that the person is not prepared for a safe pointe experience.  See more about pointe shoes here.

c.       Jazz shoes

Correct: jazz shoes

Incorrect: dance team shoes, ballet shoes

These shoes are used for jazz and Broadway dance styles, dance or drill teams, and they are sometimes worn for modern or contemporary as well.  Some jazz shoes are slip-on, and others are lace-up. 

d.      Tap shoes

Correct: tap shoes

Incorrect: loud shoes, metal shoes, dress shoes

Dancers taking tap class will need tap shoes.  There are many styles, ranging from mary-jane style patent leather shoes for little girls to oxford styles for men and advanced dancers.  Tap shoes also come in slip-on and high-heeled varieties.  Regardless of the style of the shoe’s upper, dance shoes with smooth metal plates (called taps) attached to the soles are tap shoes. 

e.      Flamenco shoes

Correct: flamenco shoes, flamenco heels, flamenco boots or botines

Incorrect: tap shoes

Flamenco shoes for women look like high-heels and flamenco shoes for men look like short cowboy boots.  All flamenco shoes have many small nails hammered into the soles at the toe and heel.  This makes them similar to tap shoes, but they are not interchangeable. 

f.        Character shoes

Correct: character shoes, men’s/women’s character shoes

Incorrect: dress shoes, show choir shoes, ballet shoes

Character shoes are sturdy dress-like shoes with hard leather soles.  For women, they are high heels with a buckle strap across the ankle.  For men, they are oxfords.  Character shoes are worn for various styles including Broadway, jazz, ballet, and ballroom.  Character shoes are also frequently used by performance groups ranging from school show choirs to the Radio City Rockettes.  Aside from performance groups, character shoes (as insinuated by their name) are usually worn for specific character parts (like party parents in Nutcracker—see more about character parts here).  In general, teachers and directors will tell dancers if they need character shoes.  They are not normally necessary for beginning classes in ballet, jazz, and Broadway styles.

g.       Modern footwear (AKA footwear for modern, contemporary, and lyrical dance styles)

Correct: (This is complicated, see below) modern shoes, contemporary shoes, lyrical shoes, dance paws, foot undies (undeez), pirouette shoes, half shoes, Twylas

Incorrect: ballet shoes, jazz shoes, footies (though most dance store workers will know what you’re talking about if you use this term)

When I get right down to it, there is no real, overarching name that refers to all modern footwear (besides, well, modern footwear).  Every brand that sells an option for modern footwear uses a different name to refer to the item, and that combined with regional terms has resulted in a whole host of possibilities of names for things modern dancers wear on their feet.  The main characteristic different options for modern footwear share is that they usually do not cover the whole foot.  This provides a barefoot look and feel while protecting dancers’ feet from abrasions or splinters. 

If your teacher says you need a specific type of modern footwear for class, make sure you know the brand, the product name, and what it looks like before shopping.  If you are allowed to get any kind of modern footwear you like, it’s usually best to see what your local dance store offers (ask for all modern footwear options) before making a decision as to what you like best. 

Ballet shoes and jazz shoes (usually in skin-matching colors) are commonly used for modern dance as well.  That’s totally fine.  It’s fine if you prefer to dance in ballet or jazz shoes when you do modern.  However, when you go into the dance store to buy ballet or jazz shoes to wear for modern dance, be sure to ask for ballet or jazz shoes, not modern footwear.

h.      Dance sneakers

Correct: dance sneakers, hip-hop shoes, Zumba shoes, cheer shoes (specific subtype of dance sneakers)

Incorrect: running shoes, regular shoes

Dance sneakers are sort of a hybrid between street-shoe sneakers and jazz shoes.  They usually have a soft fabric, mesh, or leather upper and a suede or plastic/rubber sole that provides little traction on a hard floor.  Dance sneakers are used for hip-hop, some dance teams, some jazz classes, and dance exercise like Zumba and LaBlast.  Cheerleading shoes are a specific subtype of dance sneakers (ask for cheer shoes if that’s what you’re after; they will probably be displayed with dance sneakers at your local store). 

Dance sneakers may look like regular athletic sneakers, but they are engineered differently.  Most athletic shoes are too “sticky” to perform well as dance shoes.  Similarly, most dance sneakers do not perform well outside the studio.  They generally lack support necessary for jogging, and they can be dangerously slippery on wet surfaces.

i.        Ballroom shoes

Correct: ballroom shoes, ballroom heels, women’s/men’s ballroom shoes, practice/performance ballroom shoes, smooth/standard/rhythm/Latin ballroom shoes (though most dance store workers do not know the difference—hence why you should always use the term “ballroom” even if it feels redundant)

Incorrect: heels, fancy shoes, dress shoes

Depending on the dress code at the studio, jazz shoes, character shoes, dance sneakers, and ballroom shoes are all appropriate choices for ballroom dance.  It’s most important that the shoe has a suede or leather sole that slides easily on the studio floor.  If you are very dedicated to learning a specific style under the ballroom umbrella and/or performing or competing, it’s important to have ballroom shoes appropriate to your style.  I’m a ballroom beginner, but as I understand it, a simple way to tell the difference with women’s ballroom shoes are the toes.  Smooth shoes are closed-toed (like pumps), rhythm shoes are closed-toed, but have open sides, and Latin shoes are open-toed.