If you want to keep your little girl away from the screens, sign her up for ballet lessons. Time after time, this type of dance shows why it’s such a popular activity for kids of all ages, and discipline is one of them. Showing up for the lessons, and being dedicated to learning the skills and techniques no matter how challenging they may be, is useful beyond the world of dance – it teaches kids how to be responsible and focused, and that deciding not to quit even when it seems difficult can pay off.
Aside from getting useful accessories for home training, like balance boards, home dance barre, and foot stretcher, one way of getting your little dancer in dance mode and setting her up for success is dressing her up for it. There’s a reason why dance schools have their own dress codes for practice and performance. In a way, dance ensembles serve their purpose of motivating the little dancer, besides being designed to prevent restrictions for all the different moves and techniques.
Tutus
Perhaps some of the most notable and symbolic pieces of clothing for ballet, tutus are the cute skirts and a part of the essentials of ballerina costumes for sale that come with attached bodices in the same style, colour, or with the same embellishments. They’ve been worn for this specific dance for almost 200 years, and they’re not going anywhere despite the varied trends and designs that come and go.
The reason for this is because they are handy with showing off a dancer’s graceful movements thanks to being short and light, while at the same time offering the needed flexibility to master them. This would explain why the only changes the tutu had undergone throughout the years were in the length and fabric – the modern tutus are significantly shorter and lighter than those of the past, to match the improvement in choreographies and techniques.
Traditionally made from layers of gauzy tulle fabric, the ballet costume tutus of today are mostly made of layers of nylon netting. These are then connected with hand stitching and sometimes supported by wires, depending on the style. Speaking of which, there are two main styles: the classical, and the romantic.
The first is characterised by being short and stiff, projecting horizontally from the hips, with there being four different classical versions. The pancake with the different net layers, the platter, the bell, and the powder puff are all classical tutus. As for the latter, it’s characterised by being soft and bell-shaped, and it’s longer than the counterpart to be more like a dress for special onstage performances, so it usually reaches the calves, or even the ankles, much like the old versions of tutus.
Leotards
These are the skin-fitted suits used for practice that can be found both in short-sleeved and long-sleeved versions, and there are even some sleeveless designs. The reason ballerinas wear leotards much like gymnasts is that they provide the freedom required for the different challenging movements, like twists, swirls, and jumps.
Also, these too are essential parts of ballerina costumes for sale because they’re helpful with offering much-needed stability and preventing injuries as they give the teachers a good look at the dancer’s posture, alignment, and movements. If something’s amiss, or the dancer doesn’t do the moves correctly, the teacher can immediately spot it.
Tights
Same as the tutus and leotards, these pieces of clothing are chosen because of the freedom of movement they offer, much to the point of feeling like a second skin. Moreover, they’re made from lightweight fabrics that are chosen for their moisture-wicking properties, so they absorb the sweat from the legs with no obstruction whatsoever.
In some cases, they’re even worn over the leotards. And why do ballerinas put their tights over their leotards? Because this is a way of adding more coverage to the crotch area.
Shoes
Same as the tutus, the pointe shoes are what make ballerinas into ballerinas in the first place. These are the two elements that are envisioned by most people when thinking of ballerinas, so much so they’re also the favourites for little girls who dress up as ballerinas at Halloween.
As crucial pieces of ballet gear, they’re created to help your little dancer work through each movement with ease, even if it’s dancing on the toes. If your girl needs some more help with mastering strength, stability, and dexterity, along with buying ballet shoes it would be helpful to get her a pair of ballet slippers too.
For the most part, ballet shoes come in the classic leather or canvas variety. If your child is a beginner, it’s best to get her the leather option since it will be easier for her to navigate around with them on, whereas the canvas slippers will require some more breaking in. In any case, both provide great cushion and support so that she can move around the studio with ease.
