Not Sure What to Wear on the First Ballet Class? Learn Everything You Need to Know About Ballet Dress Below:
Ballet is a graceful, yet, challenging sport that builds posture, grace, technique, muscles and discipline throughout the years of practice. And it all starts with the very first class.
Whether you dreamed of seeing your child dancing ballet on stage or if they have been asking you for it, they need to be ready for class. But how? How to make sure they are dressed appropriately to thrive on their first class?
Well, for the dress code, usually, young girls will be required to wear a leotard in the color code prescribed by the ballet centre, pink tights and pink ballet slippers. As for young boys, they will usually be required to wear black or white ballet slippers, a white tee and black leggings. And, when the weather gets cold, they are usually allowed to wear leg warmers or a ballet sweater. You can browse our Ballet shop to get Ballet shoes or dress for your kids.
However, you don’t need to have all of the items above by the first class.
Here is a list with good tips to help you on that:
Ballet Clothes
Despite what we usually see ballerinas wearing, you don’t need to worry about tutus.
The important thing is to understand that, in a ballet class, it will be important that both the student and the teacher are able to see the lines of the body in order to help finding the correct postures, shapes and positions.
That means that, for girls, the ideal pieces to wear are tights or leggings and a leotard. For boys, leggings and a slim white t-shirt are the best call.
In general, the student must also be comfortable and be able to move freely through form fitting, breathable clothing.
What Not to Wear
- Loose, saggy clothes
- Jeans and other types of fabric that limit movement and are, overall, inappropriate for sports.
- Clothes that, despite being tight, restrain the body movement.
- Costumes
- Tutus (yes! The students will only wear tutus if required by the teacher.)
Ballet Shoes
Socks will be perfectly acceptable for the first few classes but, later on, it will be important to purchase the right shoes. Ballet slippers are good because they help the dancer in terms of being able to feel the floor and gain a connection to the ground, and socks are the next best thing. But remember: if your child intends to continue the classes, the sooner you purchase your ballet slippers, the better.
What Not to Wear
- No shoes or socks
- Rubber shoes, sneakers or any kind of shoes that can prevent feet and legs to slide properly on the floor
- Any sort of heels
The Hair
For girls and boys with long hair, the ideal way to prepare the hair for a ballet class is to have the hair up in a bun. That way, we avoid hair getting in the way of the dancer’s sight. Also, it keeps a clean, fluid movement overall while dancing.
What Not to Wear
- Hair Down
- Overly complex hairstyles
- Ponytails
- Braids
- Tiaras and headbands
Ready for the first ballet class? Use the tips above, book your first class and, most importantly, remember to have fun!
If you or your children are curious to try it out, book an experimental class here at the Ballet Centre:
The Ballet Centre is the leading training center for ballerinas in Dubai. We offer beginner ballet for toddlers and ballet classes for 5 – 12 years old. Each class has a specific focus on technique, theory, history of dance, and ballet methods like Vaganova or Cecchetti. Our instructors are all qualified with world-class certifications from international bodies like RAD, IDTA, and ISTD.