alison Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 I've noticed several professional dancers wearing bras of various sorts underneath: wonder what they do? I think the ones I've seen in rehearsal may have tended to be sports-type bras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 I don't think the girls wear bras under leotards at Central now, not that I've noticed anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 It is not that the vocational girls are not just wearing bras to dance but because they are in their leotards all day they are without support all day too. They don't have time swapping between dance and academic classes to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 It seems sadly that the good intentions were never implemented! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Today, 10:57 AM It is not that the vocational girls are not just wearing bras to dance but because they are in their leotards all day they are without support all day too. They don't have time swapping between dance and academic classes to change. Do they not? They certainly change between dance & academics & dds school. If they have dance first they might go into assembly in their leotards & track suits that's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dramascientist Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Wow I am so glad my DD did not inherit my genes..... 30DD when I was a dancer! 32JJ after feeding babies! We always wore minimal bounce bras under leotards, not sure if they still make them, they were like really strong crop tops. Luckily this is not a problem with DD! Phew, glad she just got the turn out gene! Drsc. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flit and float Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Yes to minimal bounce bras! I couldn't do without mine! I'm not especially big but the thought of doing a petit allegro without a bra - ouch!! Dance Direct always have a suggestion box when you order - products you would like them to get, I always suggest leotards you can wear a bra with, their catalogue is full of lovely fancy ones but the majority are all low backed/fancy backed/camisoles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I hate to say this though, most of the girls in my daughters year are flat chested. The rest of them are small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila Beelam Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 It's an ongoing issue for sure. I'm 32E and would never wear a bra under a leotard, it just feels strange- guess it's what you get used to! Having said that I wear size large in Leo's and generally the shelf is size accordingly. The bratek Leo's did go someway to addressing the problem, but the cup sizes are rather small and styles limited. Plus the idea of having to have Leo's in different sizes AND bra sizes means there would be a large increase in stock needed I be held. Has anyone tried the Dans-ez minimal bounce bra - I'm not sure if that's the one being referred to above? It looks like a sports bra, so would only suit certain leotards, but I've toyed with stocking them. I think we need a collaboration with a lingerie designer..... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa O`Brien Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Yes Sheila,and preferably a FEMALE one ,so she can relate to her future customers.! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 There definitely need to be more interestingly designed leotards to allow women/girls to wear a sorts bra underneath. My daughter got to the stage of having to wear a bra which was fine under some leos, but it meant she missed out on all the new interesting designs. Leotard designers please take note. Surely it just takes a little imagination to come up with something that can pretty well hide must straps but isn't just the same old boring style. As I said earlier, dd had to wear a bra under a Bratek leotard for her adv 1 exam which actually was fine as she only needed a plain exam style leo, but she'd've liked to have more choice of class/rehearsal styles that still allowed her to wear the bra without too much showing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 What about a leotard with broad straps (and not low cut) but with a lot of lace detail at the top under which flesh coloured sports bras or body stockings could be worn? My young teenage dd has a Bloch leotard a bit like this. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Yes, those are nice Aileen. She had one with the long lacey sleeves which she wore with a tutu skirt for some comps. It made a very effective costume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flit and float Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Yes it's the Dansez bra I have, worn them for years & they last really well. Super comfy as they're just like cotton crop tops, and they fit under most normal tank leotards. Also good as I've got a long body so leotards quite often end up on the low cut side, bra means I don't show so much cleavage! Also they come in lots of colours & you could wear with leggings or jazz pants for jazz as they just look like tops as opposed to too bra like. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila Beelam Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Thanks F&F I've seen the fab colours and reckon my non DD will want those for the gym! I'll add some to my dans-ez order this week and see what style leotards we have that they fit under, then we can suggest styles on the site 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Of course, you can also get hold of backless/low-backed "ordinary" bras. Are there none of those which will work under leotards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballettaxi Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 DD (28DD) wears her normal bra under her leo but with the special extending thingy which allows it be lower at the back (can't remember the name of the attachment but it clips onto either end, crosses over lower on her back and then fastens at the front at her waist). She just couldn't bear to not wear a bra and hates to see the back strap. She doesn't find this irritating and it doesn't 'travel'. She wears an RAD size 3 leo - to give her enough coverage up top - which has then been taken in from the ribs down - I've become a dab hand at adapting leo's and costumes. To echo the above sentiments I really wish someone would come up with something which didn't make her feel 'freakish' (her word, not mine!!!) about her shape. Everything else about her build is pretty much perfect for ballet apart from her chest. What do you say to a 14 year old who asks what age she has to be before she can have a breast reduction because no ballet company would ever want her???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Ballettaxi, I have two words for you: Polina Semionova, an international ballet star and ballet beauty. She certainly has a bust. At the RB there are some women who have a noticeable bust but they are in the minority, admittedly. I think that when ballerinas just wore tutus a larger bust was not an issue because the top of the tutus was properly fitted and quite 'structured' but the thin leotards for Balanchine and more contemporary choreography (and some dresses which are worn without anything underneath up top) are more of a challenge for women who are better endowed. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Alison where do you buy these ordinary bras which are lower at the back or backless as you say......sound just the thing I'm looking for. I do have one beautiful Degas leotard (from Just Ballet) with which I can wear a bra...or not...as I wanted but these bras would be useful for other leotards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 DD (28DD) wears her normal bra under her leo but with the special extending thingy which allows it be lower at the back (can't remember the name of the attachment but it clips onto either end, crosses over lower on her back and then fastens at the front at her waist). She just couldn't bear to not wear a bra and hates to see the back strap. She doesn't find this irritating and it doesn't 'travel'. She wears an RAD size 3 leo - to give her enough coverage up top - which has then been taken in from the ribs down - I've become a dab hand at adapting leo's and costumes. To echo the above sentiments I really wish someone would come up with something which didn't make her feel 'freakish' (her word, not mine!!!) about her shape. Everything else about her build is pretty much perfect for ballet apart from her chest. What do you say to a 14 year old who asks what age she has to be before she can have a breast reduction because no ballet company would ever want her???? Alison where do you buy these ordinary bras which are lower at the back or backless as you say......sound just the thing I'm looking for. I do have one beautiful Degas leotard (from Just Ballet) with which I can wear a bra...or not...as I wanted but these bras would be useful for other leotards. I think it was a Wonderbra that I saw advertised on the TV some years ago. It worked the same way as the device described by Ballettaxi in that it had long fastening straps that crossed over and fastened at the front. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballettaxi Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 (edited) We buy the attachment things from M&S, they're about £7.50 for two different widths. Best discovery ever for our house! Edited to say that we buy them in flesh coloured but I think you can also get black and white. Edited May 14, 2014 by ballettaxi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Will definitely investigate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thecatsmother Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 There are company dancers who are more well endowed who find non surgical ways of dealing with this issue on stage. Not sure if it is self or company directed. I would hope self directed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 What are they? A form of strapping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballettaxi Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Aileen, it's just like an extension to the part of the bra that fastens at the back. I've pasted the link to the M&S website below, hopefully this helps. There's only one review on there which doesn't rate them very high, but we've never had a problem with these. http://www.marksandspencer.com/l/women/bra-accessories#./bra-accessories?&_suid=140008105390809687094298223704 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thecatsmother Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Indeed Aileen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munchkin16 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Don't know it anyone has tried it but apparently you can make a bra (more like an extra shelf style one inside the leotard but still an extra layer) out of an old pair of tights. You can cut it how you want so it might even work with a low back leotard, but probably one with thicker straps. If you are good at sewing you can also use tights to make a shelf bra if the leotard doesn't have one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 (Don't think tights would hold dd's 34F's down! She's taken up rugby now she's at uni - noone can see your sports bra under a rugby top :-). Although she has got a nickname which refers to a certain part of her anatomy.) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Don't like the name but anything that hides what Kenny Everett once called "the chestal area" has to be good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballettaxi Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 DD refers to her leo's in terms of coverage i.e. the higher the number the more coverage, referred to as a 'boobage' rating. So her RAD Grades leo (thicker straps, extra lining at the chest) has a boobage rating of 9/10, whilst her RAD vocational leo (spaghetti straps and shaped at the front only has a boobage rating of 4/10. Modern and tap are both 10/10 as she has full sleeved leo for tap and modern she can wear a cropped vest style top over her leo so sports bra's can be worn. She will also use this reference whilst out shopping for normal clothes, cue funny looks in changing rooms as she calls out that she's not coming out from behind the curtain to show me something as it 'only has a boobage of 2'! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 What a wonderful word ballettaxi! I expect boobage and boobage rating to make it into the next edition of the OED. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dramascientist Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Lol ballettaxi:) sometimes it is so good to read this forum on a hard day, it can really lift your spirits! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flit and float Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Love it! Leotards should be labelled with a boobage rating along with the info on size, colour, fabric etc! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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