Tutus, Ballet Skirts and Dance Shorts!

Let's talk about the accessories that can be worn to dance class. There are certainly a lot of options, but tutus, ballet skirts and dance shorts seem the most obvious.

First, tutus are a big "no" for dance class. Tutus are meant for stage, not class. An exception would be an advanced dancer in partnering class may need to wear a tutu in class so that her partner can get used to where to hold her waist when she's wearing one, and how far away from her he needs to stand while she's turning because the tutu takes up space. Anyway, for the rest of us, tutus are a big no-no for ballet class. If you have a little one who is begging for a tutu, buy her one to wear at home, but don't let her wear it to class. Teachers need to see what dancers' bodies are doing and a tutu hides her hips and upper legs, making it hard to give corrections. If your child is wishing for a tutu, remind her that she'll probably have one for her recital. As a side note, here's a cute book about a little girl who wanted a tutu!

Second on our list is ballet skirts. I love ballet skirts! They're beautiful and dancers feel beautiful when they wear them. Younger dancers should wear a skirt with an elastic waist. You don't want your dancer spending all of class tying and untying her skirt (or asking her teacher to do it), you want her to actually dance. Or you could choose a leotard with a skirt attached, if your studio allows it. Older dancers look lovely in a wrap skirt.

And probably the most popular item right now for dance accessories is dance shorts. A quick important note, dance shorts are different than gym shorts! Please don't let your dancer wear gym shorts to dance class! Anyway, some people call dance shorts "bootie shorts", or "boy shorts" but I prefer to just call them dance shorts. They are very short (it's ok, your dancer will wear a leotard and tights under them), and they're tight fitting. Most dancers just wear black dance shorts, but they come in many colors too!

So, we learned that tutus are a no-go for ballet class, right? Stick with a pretty skirt or dance shorts. Nothing that hides the dancer's body from the teacher's corrections. There are a million choices out there, just go look!