When deciding what to wear to ballet class, keep the following in mind: comfort and simplicity. The clothes you wear to practice ballet must allow you to move and stretch easily. Your clothing must also be tight enough for your teacher to check your body alignment during certain movements. Keep in mind, most ballet teachers prefer dancers to wear a cover-up of some sort to and from the studio. This is as simple as a pair of dance pants or a dance skirt paired with a crossover sweater or a sweatshirt worn over your leotard. Also, never use your ballet shoes as street shoes. Slip on a pair of sneakers or flip-flops instead, in order to prolong the life of your ballet shoes.
Women and girls:
A simple leotard and a pair of tights is the best thing to wear to class. Leotards are available in several colors and designs, including sleeveless, short sleeved and long sleeved. Young dancers delight in wearing small skirts and tutus over their leotards, but most teachers discourage them in older classes.
Men and boys:
A simple dance outfit is tight sweat pants or shorts paired with a tank top or t-shirt tucked in at the waist. Some prefer traditional leotards and tights, but with the tights worn on the outside. All male dancers traditionally wear dance belts.
