TabbyCool

Bloch tights seem to be slightly bigger made & more stretchy than Capezio ones (& softer) Try cutting the waistband off Capezios maybe too? Agree Danskin are weirdly short, I got fishnets with bizarrely short legs! They used to be the best tights

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!

Evening all

The Bloch Endura convertible tights go up to a size E. They're not on our website yet but we have them in stock in the Wisbech store. If you want to give me a ring tomorrow I can discuss the size charts with you and see if we can find something suitable! We also have Gaynor Minden, Russian Pointe, Silky, Sansha, Danskin and Capezio tights, in store, so I'm sure we can find something suitable for you!

 

Sheila x

01945 581534

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!

I think I must have lapsed into a Sunday thicko mood as I couldn't follow the link above because I am not sure which size chart ......there were so many....refers to the actual Danskin tights!!

 

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

I 'm 5ft 8ins and a size 16 (well 15 really in between 14-16 but always err towards the 16 in most cases) and I find the Bloch FOOTLESS tights in size D are great for me.

The only snag is that they haven't had size D in the shop in London since last November!!

I've tried Capezio and unless it's the ultra fine one find them too scratchy as well!!

Their footed XXL in the ultra fine also fit okay and I can't stand it if they don't pull all the way up so these are the two makes of choice now depending on whether I want footed or footless

I don't know the Danskin ones.

The problem comes if you are both tall and a bit broad or muscular frame as well .....so have found tights and even more so leotards difficult to fit comfortably from most brands though the Capezio XXL leotard just about does it!!

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! ????

Have you tried Danskin? Their convertibles are dual sizing, e.g. A/B and C/D, but their footed tights seem to come in single sizes. There's a size chart here assuming you know how much you weigh in pounds: http://www.justballet.co.uk/shop/tights/danskin-adult-compression-microfibre-ballet-tights/

The size chart is inset in the main photo but enlarges if you click on it. :-) Danskins are lovely and soft and certainly very stretchy lengthways.

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!

Dancia International and Freed are both excellent.  I'd try the Grishko soft blocks in Dancia - Bloch tend to be quite wide, especially at the heel/sides.  They stock Sansha too I think, or at least they used to.

 

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.

Can I be nosy and ask why you prefer leather?

 

I've only worn leather ballet shoes once. I've no idea why I bought them but I wore them on the first day of a summer school and not only was I the only one in leather shoes but they left a distinct half circle on the floor when we did ronds de jambe a terre. I was horrified, and conviced I'd ruined my chance of getting into this school after this double gaffe!

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.

What shoe is she wearing? Some of the Grishko styles are near on impossible to go through Demi pointe

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.

Really? Well if my 'older' girls came out with anything worse then they would be asked to leave. Can't be doing with any of it.....and they know it too

 

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!

Would you?? Must be time for me to retire then because the day I had resort to talking to anyone like this, let alone a pupil, is the day it is time to give up!

Hope your son has more luck at a more suitable school Happymum.

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

Not just ballet … transgender friend of mine had a very bad experience with the bellydancing community, had to give up after she transitioned because she simply wasn't welcome in too many places - some teachers can have very strange ideas about dance, gender and related matters.

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

Quoting Dorsey again the article concludes that ballet can’t afford not to respond to changing social realities outside the academy. He notes that ballet is struggling with diminishing audiences and adds that ‘This should prompt dance institutions to ask themselves whether their work is truly relevant to the world we live in.’

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!

I took one term of absolute beginners' classes ever (in my early 30s) and had the same issue.  At the time I had no interest in ballet as an audience member, and certainly hadn't had the benefit of anything like this forum with its breadth of in-depth technical knowledge from professional dancers and teachers.  The teacher told me the reason I couldn't get my heels anywhere near each other in first was that I had swayback legs, and from that day until I first came across the term on this forum, I assumed that must be an un-remediable fault!

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!

Gosh, I can't see you, and I'm not your teacher, but you should never "lock" your knees if you're hyperextended. You have to learn quite a different way of working if you have hyperextended joints.

 

They may give a nice line IF ( a big if) the dancer knows how to work with them, but there are general issues of strength and control with hyperextended knees.

 

Definitely NOT a requirement!

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!

This is really interesting to me but I'm so pathetic at understanding what diagrams are trying to tell me (I even have to stop and think when I go into a loo if it is ladies or gents) and apart from palms flat to the floor and bent back thumb, I can't see what the other diagrams are showing as examples of hyper extension. Please could someone knowledgeable add some words? Thank you!

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!