"Do I really need to buy dance tights?"
Updated: Dec 9, 2020
Yes. Yes, you really do need to buy dance tights. Tights that little girls wear to church or school are not made for dancing. Or better yet, dance tights are made for dancing.
Dance tights are made with lycra in them, which allows them to stretch and move with the dancer. Do you (if you're female) remember when you'd wear tights to school, and by about mid-day the knees of your tights would be loose and the ankles would be baggy? Dance tights don't do that, and as dancers we're moving around way more than a little girl at school! So now you're thinking "great. I don't have a clue what I'm looking for and I don't know where to buy dance tights!" Never fear, that's why I'm here!
Here are my favs for dance tights...
My top pick for girls ballet tights are Capezio Girls' Ultra Soft Transition Tights. They are soft (ultra soft, actually), and they have a little hole in the bottom of the feet so kids can get at their feet, put on a bandage, go barefoot, etc... Whatever the reasoning for needing their feet out of the tights, this is the answer! Capezio makes Women's Ultra Soft Transition Tights too! And, both the girls' and women's transition tights from Capezio come in 10 different skin tones so you can match your tights to your skin tone!
Danskin also makes Ultrasoft Convertible Tights - convertible tights are the same idea as transition tights, a hole in the bottom of the foot so that the dancer can get at their feet. And, of course, they have Women's Ultrasoft Convertible Tights too. My favorite part of the Danskin tights is the waistband. Instead of elastic, they have a soft waistband made of the same material as the rest of the tights, but with extra elasticity. The downside of these tights, is they seem to only have pink and black.
There are many other brand names from which to choose, but Capezio and Danskin have been around a long time and both make quality products. If you don't want to be buying your dancers tights every other week, you need to buy tights made for dancers. If your dancer only attends class once a week, one pair will do the job just fine (at least until performance time). Good luck! Your child will be happy to have good tights to wear to class!