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adult recreational dancers' trend watch - what's in, what's out, what is all time no-no


mimi66

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There are, however, in an adult recreational open class, some sort of unspoken rules - or just snobbery?- aren't there. 

 

Probably not for everywhere, but in my experience, more advanced classes people tend to frown upon anything too "costumy" in the class.  As if to say, this is a class, this is the place to practice your art and not where one plays with costume... Particularly when you haven't got to that standard yet.

 

Actually, I guess it is just a practicality.  Costumes can, and often aim to, hide one's physical shortcomings and used to create illusion. In class, one needs to see the line of the body clearly.  There is a reason why in serious classes (as in ballet school ) you only wear pink tights and a leotard only.  Nothing to hide yourself from. 

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I read the advice about red leotards being off-putting in a ballet book aimed at adults. I don’t remember the name of it at the top of my head, but it must have been published at least 10 years ago. It's possible trends and opinions have changed since the book was published, and may just have been the writer's opinion. It’s the only place I’ve ever heard of this advice and I don’t mean to discredit it by asking the question about wearing red leotards. I was just curious that’s all in case it was a ballet tradition/etiquette I had missed.

 

If there really was a colour (or leotard style) that teachers would find off-putting I probably wouldn’t realise it since I am not a teacher. The book overall was very useful. It’s aimed at adults who are new to ballet or who would like more advice about starting class and class etiquette. There’s also a chapter on starting pointe work as an adult as well.

 

 

There are, however, in an adult recreational open class, some sort of unspoken rules - or just snobbery?- aren't there. 

 

Probably not for everywhere, but in my experience, more advanced classes people tend to frown upon anything too "costumy" in the class.  As if to say, this is a class, this is the place to practice your art and not where one plays with costume... Particularly when you haven't got to that standard yet.

 

Actually, I guess it is just a practicality.  Costumes can, and often aim to, hide one's physical shortcomings and used to create illusion. In class, one needs to see the line of the body clearly.  There is a reason why in serious classes (as in ballet school ) you only wear pink tights and a leotard only.  Nothing to hide yourself from. 

 

I’ve not seen anything ‘costumy’ in class before. In adult recreational class the only rules I have ever come across was for beginners’ classes. There was a teacher who did not like people wearing socks only in case they slipped. Another teacher didn’t like long loose trousers that hid your ankles because they hide your feet rolling in (if you were rolling in) or if you had to roll up your trousers your feet could get caught in the trousers and make you fall over.

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I guess the red leotard issue is that it is distracting to teachers' eyes.  i have also read before somewhere, that in children's class uniforms are essential, and where possible everyone should wear their hair in the same way, so that everyone can concentrate on the line of their body.  I also think I have read somewhere that children learn and develope thier eyes for the line better that way, again, as litte distraction as possible.

 

Then there is the issue of "overs".  I know I should take them all off before the class in theory, but I can't always have 30min before the class to propperly warm up.  Also as I get older, some bits just need that extra layer - I wear flees socks over my shoes at the barre for instance - to warm bits in order to avoid injury.

 

Make up was an interesting point.  Once we had this 2 french girls (ex french ballet school) came into the class fully made up and everything neat and tidy.  As we know that across the channel, we tend to turn up something a bit more scruffy (reverse snobbery?) and beaten up, and with very little make-up.

 

Turned out that in French ballet school children (probably teens' thought) are told to wear make-up (not stage  make-up, though) and generally dress very neatly in class.  One has to make an effort to look beautiful in France, they told me.

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How interesting re. red leotards! Dd has two; one crimson one with a darker crimson velvet top, and one that is more of a dark pinky-red. Both suit her as she has extremely pale creamy skin and no teacher has ever commented - except to admire the colour on her. :-)

 

I can imagine bright scarlet - the colour of the ROH programmes - might be off-putting for a teacher though, to keep seeing such vivid scarlet flashing past.

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Spannerandpony, having read your comment I just remembered my childhood ballet class!

 

Was I 8 or 9?  It was an absolutely beginner's kids class, and... the entire class wore red (Kenzo's red) leotards with a little skirt, pink tights, and...wait for it...red leather ballet slippers!  I have totally forgotten about it until now - it sounds coompletely bonkers now.

 

I wonder if that had a lot to do with our mothers very much that film "red shoes" generation, and may be that's what they thought aspiring ballet dancers should wear.

 

Not sure how it looked to our poor teacher...

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When I went back to ballet I started off wearing my baggy yoga pants but they soon started to annoy me flapping around the ankles!!

So then I progressed to track suit bottoms elasticated around the ankles before eventually progressing to black tights. I haven't ventured to pink ones yet but may do in the summer.

In some dance schools for the younger kids it has to be pink because its the colour which allows the teacher to see the most what the leg is doing etc.

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I am now violently allergic to burgundy leotards as both daughters used three a week for nearly ten years! The colour drained my pale skinned, dark haired dds, looked awful on redheads and made blondes look red faced. Ugh!

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Just get over it girls, for me its easy, If its a working outfit its black leo pink tights and black chiffon skirt, for anything else it fits that characters roll, if it be leo or tutu I really don't have a problem, it goes with the territory. My ballet wardrobe consists of over 20 leos of various colours and styles with a similar number of tutu's

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Guest chinafish

I don't know if this has yet been posted, but I came across this the other day.

 

http://rachelneville.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/rachel-neville-leotard-buying-guide-2013-is-here/

 

You'll have to provide an email to Rachel to receive a password for this. I found the relationship between body shape and cut off clothes interesting. I've always wondered how come I look good in one of my leotards from the front but look like I'm twice as big from the back!

 

Any thoughts?

 

Fish

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I don't know if this has yet been posted, but I came across this the other day.

 

http://rachelneville.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/rachel-neville-leotard-buying-guide-2013-is-here/

 

You'll have to provide an email to Rachel to receive a password for this. I found the relationship between body shape and cut off clothes interesting. I've always wondered how come I look good in one of my leotards from the front but look like I'm twice as big from the back!

 

Any thoughts?

 

Fish

 

 

The cut is very important, I guess. I forgot where I have read it but there are some sort of general rules for which shape upper body suits which type of cut. May be it was about the bathing suits, but I think that's equally valid for leotards.

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I wear black or dark coloured leotards most often, usually with pink tights but sometimes I go for black, just depends how I feel.  I rarely wear shorts over my leotard as I have big hips so they just make me look wider, I tend to wear a chiffon wrap skirt, I have a plain black one and 2 patterned ones from Capezio that look nice with a range of different coloured leotards.  I do have some bright leotards too though, Bloch have done some lovely ones in turquoise, raspberry, purple... I do like red too, my teacher told me I suit red, although some reds do feel just a little too bright! 

 

As for fabrics not showing sweat, I recently bought a navy blue leotard from Roch Valley that is nylon lycra (a fabric I usually avoid!) with a velvet section across the bust and sleeves.  The velvet comes a bit below the bottom of my bra where I usually get sweat marks and hides all of my sweaty sins!  I love it so much I'm going to order the black version as soon as I get paid.  This is the one... http://www.danceandleisurewear.co.uk/roch-valley-teresa-leotard.html

 

I seem to be a bit of a rarity in my classes, the studio I go to is really informal so a lot of people turn up to class in leggings and t-shirts, leotards with leggings on top, socks rather than ballet shoes etc, only a few of us actually dress for ballet! I always wear my hair in a bun, usually on the back of my head, I have a lot of hair so a low bun gets in the way if I want to put my head back and is more difficult to hold in place with hair pins.  

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