TabbyCool

The Capezio ones I have are too short to pull all the way up, so cutting the waistband off would just result in tights hanging out the legs of my leotard! The Bloch ones aren't much better, I used to wear the Bloch body tights since they just have straps and no waistband, but they got holes in them so easily and seem to have been discontinued! I've never felt quite as fat as I do when trying to find ballet tights!

Hi Sheila, the Bloch ones I have are the Endura tights in a size E, they're too small unfortunately. Same goes for Capezio size XXL, and pretty much anything made by Sansha, it's so frustrating!

The image of the tights has the size chart in the top corner, just tap on it to enlarge it x

Yes, I'm 5'7" and probably more a 16 than a 14 too, I have really big hips though and my waist is very squishy, so most tights just dig in really hard, it hurts so much and is horribly unflattering! The Capezio tights I have are a XXL, not sure what style though, they're convertible ones, they're tiny and really scratchy, I really should just give them away! I can generally wear size L leotards from Bloch and Mirella as long as I stick to tank and cap sleeved styles, though I did find a So Danca one in a size 7, which I think is a XXL, that fits really nicely. Capezio leotards are usually too short and way too low cut, the last one I tried was obscene! I recently bought the Barcelona leotard from Intermezzo in a size L and that's a lovely fit too, plus you get to have Barcelona on your back! ????

Hmm... A size D might just fit, I really wish they'd do the size charts in waist sizes rather than just height and weight though, not everyone carries their weight in the same places, most tights feel like they're trying to cut me in half!

I did cut holes in the soles of a footed pair, just had to seal the ends of the cut with clear nail varnish. They were Revolution tights too though.

The first Bloch ones I tried were footed as I got them before I started doing pointe, they were way too small unfortunately. The Revolution ones are the only ones I've found that fit, I currently have footless, convertible and stirrup ones from them, but the availability is unreliable, they can be out of stock for months at a time, then when you do manage to get a pair the sizing is way off. I sent a load of pairs back to them recently due to sizing problems, some were tiny on the waist, others were way too short, one pair even had the foot hole the wrong way round on one foot, their quality control is really lacking.

Does anyone know of any decent ballet tights that come in bigger sizes? I usually wear Revolution convertible tights from Dance Direct, their size XL fit me, but their sizing can be so inconsistent at times that they don't always fit, it also looks like they might be discontinuing them judging by what they have available at the moment. I usually wear a UK size 14/16 in skirts, my regular work tights are M&S size XL. I've tried Bloch, Plume and Capezio, but none of them are big enough, the Capezio ones I also found to be really scratchy fabric, just not nice at all! Ideally I'd like something that's available in pink, white and black, though I'll take what I can get really! Any ideas?

What about purple? At least it won't be confused for a Comic Relief badge or sniper target! The stars are nice too, though the blue star just made me think of the old Newcastle Brewery!

I found the Bloch softblocks to be really big fitting, I bought mine online as there isn't anywhere locally that stocks softblocks! I've had Bloch pointe shoes in a size 7 and Grishko in a 6.5 XXXXX, yet my size 6 Bloch softblocks are too big, they're actually larger than the size 7 Bloch Jetstream pointe shoes I have, which is crazy considering the pointe shoes are generally expected to be worn with a bit of padding, if anything, I'd expect the softblocks to be slightly smaller to make up for the lack of padding!

I got some ballet shoes from Taglia Basilica that have a microfibre sole rather than suede, don't know if they use vegan glues or not though.

I personally hate wearing leather ballet shoes, they always seem to stick to the floor rather than gliding like canvas ones do! They're not very breathable either, I find that they make my feet too warm!

Don't forget London Amateur Ballet, they have a spring intensive in early April and a summer one in August.

Unless you want something pretty with a ballet related design on it, I don't see any difference between a dance bag and a regular sports bag, they serve exactly the same purpose and there's a lot more choice when it comes to sports bags since it's not so niche! I have a Bloch hold-all, but I only use it when I need to carry my Pilates mat as it's the only bag I can fit it in, otherwise I prefer to use a regular rucksack.

Sansha also make vegan shoes, both soft shoes and pointes.

I wear Grishko 2007 Pro Flex and have fairly mobile feet, when my shoes are brand new I can roll up through demipointe, but once they're broken in to the point of being comfortable I can't roll up at all, my foot just keeps pushing over the box with the vamp digging in, I don't have the strength in my toes to push from there! I can releve no problem, but even with my teacher supporting underneath my feet with her hands I can't roll up, it just feels like the more I push, the more my toes try to pull back in the shoes, I can't get the balls of my feet off the floor! I've only been doing pointework properly since summer last year so I'm hoping I'll get strong enough to do it, but part of me does think it's because my shoes are just too soft.

Of course how they talk with their friends is one thing, how they conduct themselves in class is another matter! I'd expect them to behave themselves in class!

Of course you can, plenty of adults do! Being a ballet teacher needn't be something you give up on either, my ballet teacher is also a physiotherapist!

I wouldn't expect the teacher to use a phrase like that in any class as its unprofessional, but I'd definitely expect kids of secondary school age to say things a lot worse than just "crap". Good luck with your search for a better class Happymum! x

That's awful, dance should be for everyone, whether they be male, female, or somewhere inbetween, that really shouldn't matter!

Is ballet struggling? Whenever I see ballet at the theatre it's packed, I always book up months in advance because the good seats always sell out!

This sounds great, I'm at a wedding on the 26th though and getting down to Leeds for that time the following morning just wouldn't be feasible! Hopefully they'll do it again next year!

Well it took 3 years of ballet before it was even pointed out to me, I didn't know locking your knees was bad and always wondered why there never seemed to be enough room to properly pass my working leg through first position whilst doing ronde de jambe a terre without having to bend my knees slightly! Now I know, a lot of things make more sense, but it doesn't make it any easier as when my knees aren't locked they just feel bent, I honestly can't tell when they're straight, it just feels so unnatural!

I've spent my whole life locking my knees when standing, it's taking some undoing! I only started ballet when I was 29 (I'm now 33) and didn't even realise I had hyperextended knees until August last year after switching to a different teacher! I always just thought my calves were too bulky and that was why my heels couldn't get closer together!

Number 2 is hypermobile elbows, which is when the arms lock and go beyond straight, they essentially bend the wrong way, like swayback knees but in the arms. I have elbows like that, if I lock my elbow with my palm facing down, the inside of my elbow faces upwards. Number 3 is swayback knees, when the knees are locked the legs are bent slightly the wrong way, it makes it more difficult to hold your weight on the balls of your feet as the angle of the leg pushes the weight onto the heels more. Number 5 is a pinkie finger pulled back further than 90 degrees. Doh, drdance beat me to it! Oh, also, I score 6 on the Beighton scale, my pinkies don't extend beyond 90 degrees and I can only pull my left thumb back!