3.7. Okay, I'm starting ballet. What equipment do I need?
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This article is from the Ballet and Modern Dance FAQ, by Tom Parsons twp@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
3.7. Okay, I'm starting ballet. What equipment do I need?
For males, tights, a T-shirt (or, optionally, a leotard), a dance
belt, and shoes. For females, tights, a leotard, and shoes. For either
sex, a "unitard" (a single garment combining tights and top) is also
acceptable. Modern dancers tend to go barefoot and are less likely to wear
tights.
Tights and T-shirt (tucked in) are the traditional wear for ballet
classes. They offer an unobstructed view of the leg muscles all the way up
to the hip where turnout (Question 2.9) originates. But these days, things
have become very casual, and in many schools dancers may be seen wearing
anything from bicycle shorts to warmup pants. Studios are rarely air-
conditioned, because the muscles are more supple and flexible when warm,
and in hot weather bare legs are commonplace. Unitards with legs cut off
in mid-thigh are popular. When in doubt, ask your teacher or observe what
others in the class wear.
The tights can be running tights of the kind you can get in most
sporting-goods stores; but hold out for solid colors. Some teachers are
fussy about colors and others aren't; moreover, some schools have a dress
code in which color indicates your level in the school. When in doubt,
ask your teacher before you buy. Otherwise, black or navy blue is a safe
choice for men and black or pink is a safe choice for women. Lycra tights
are much more forgiving in the matter of fit than all-nylon ones are.
Men's tights must not sag at the crotch: use suspenders, use a belt (draw
the tights up high and roll them over the belt), or wear a unitard. The
sensible thing would be to wear a leotard over the tights to keep them
pulled up, but for some unfathomable reason only women wear leotards over
the tights; men who wear leotards wear them *under* the tights. (This rule
has been frequently, and successfully, challenged, however.) Footed tights
look better, but unfooted ones are less apt to sag; if you choose to wear a
unitard, you may prefer an unfooted one.
A dance belt is the dancer's equivalent of an athletic supporter.
(Don't try to get by with a supporter; get the belt.) It's a funny-looking
thing, designed to prevent elastic lines showing through the tights. It
holds the male organs up against the abdomen, to avoid strains on the sup-
porting ligaments. The wide fabric panel in front supports the virilia;
the narrow strap in the back fits between the buttocks to hold the belt in
place. A dance belt takes some getting used to, but it is essential for
ballet training, since it affords the teacher an unobstructed view of the
muscles in the upper thigh. NEVER try to dance without the belt; doing so
entails the risk of abdominal strains which can be very painful and may
take several days to subside. (There is also a discussion of dance belts
in the alt.lycra FAQ at http://members.aol.com/rg1004/lycra.faq.html.)
The shoes are ordinary ballet shoes; pointe shoes come later on.
Fitting ballet shoes is a real art. They should be tight but not painfully
so; if you can, get a teacher or an experienced dancer to check the fit.
Leather shoes tend to stretch with time; canvas ones tend to shrink if
washed. They come to about $30 here in New York. Not a bad price, IMHO,
and once they begin to wear out, they make *wonderful* house slippers.
There is a narrow lace that runs around the entire top of the shoe;
you tighten this to hold the shoe on. For many dancers' feet, this isn't
enough, so shoes normally come with a pair of elastic bands, which may be
used to help keep the shoe on. The ends of the elastic are sewn onto the
top of the shoe at a point just below the ankle bone. (Make sure the
stitches do not pass through that lace, or it may not move freely.) Some
dancers attach the elastic in a single loop; others make two pieces that
cross over the foot. If you're as clumsy at sewing as I am, you can secure
the elastic in the desired position with rubber cement. This isn't strong
enough for actual wear, but it will hold the elastic in place while you're
sewing it.
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