BOYS' PROGRAM

Boys' Attire in Ballet Class

   The dress code for Dallas Ballet Center Boys taking Creative Movement class and up to Boys II class, we ask that you wear traditional young boys dance attire: black shorts, white t-shirt (tucked in), thin white socks, and black ballet shoes (canvas or leather).
    For Boys II classes and higher the dress code includes the following:  black tights or running pants with a white tucked in T-shirt and a dance belt; preferably white ballet shoes with white socks but black ballet shoes are acceptable.  They can also wear a unitard or biketard. Available dancewear is rather limited to male dancers as compared to female dancers. Dancewear made for men is thicker and stronger than unisex or women’s tights.  If a t-shirt or dance shirt is worn, it is tucked into the tights.  Dance shirts are sold at dancewear stores and are generally a cotton/lycra shirt, so it fits snuggly around the body. If a leotard is worn, it’s worn underneath the tights. A leotard can have the normal full bottom or a thong back model.  Generally, the top of the tights are doubled over an Army/Navy web belt that is around the waist and turned under one full revolution to hold up the tights.  This has a two-fold purpose: to keep the tights at waist height and to have the Army/Navy belt act like a visual hip alignment for body placement. The traditional colors in ballet are a white top and black bottom.

   A “dance belt” is a male dancer's version of an athletic supporter and is worn instead of underwear. It fits tighter than an athletic supporter and has a thong back, although there are full bottom dance belts available. A boy starts wearing a dance belt around the same time as he does an athletic support for use in sports. A dance belt appears invisible under tights, to avoid ugly lines. Underwear should never be worn with tights in a ballet class, as it doesn’t offer the required support and protection. Plus, underwear can be seen under tights and other close-fitting clothing. Ballet is about clean lines, not seeing undergarments.  Dance belts may be hard to find for young boys, in which case you may ask the teacher about an alternative such as “Boy’s briefs” for dancing. Made of cotton with Lycra.

   If a male dancer wears socks, look for thin ones with lycra or some other material that makes them thinner and close fitting. Prima Soft sells thin socks that are actually the same material as tights, sold as foot tights. Ballet shoes are worn snug, not loose like street shoes. When getting fit for ballet shoes, it’s a good idea to wear your tights underneath your clothes to the store. Wear or put on (in the store) the socks you will be wearing to class when trying on shoes. This way you will get shoes that fit properly. If you are new to ballet, have your ballet teacher check the fit of the shoes while still new, in case they need to be exchanged.

   

NEW TO BALLET? If you’re an adult, and would like to try ballet, you can start at any age.  However, if you want to be a professional dancer, as a rule, requires you to start training as a boy.   If you’re looking to improve your health, want a different form of exercise, and move to dance in a new way, ballet can be addicting. Ballet can help you improve in numerous sports and this applies to boys as well. Various semi-pro and pro sport teams take ballet to improve their game.

 

Boys & men, if you’re worried about having to wear tights to class, keep the following in mind:

• Wrestling teams wear a singlet, in the dance world that’s called a biketard. Tights are also sold to them.

• Track/Runners/Joggers/Baseball/Football/Basketball/Workout – guys wear some form of footless tights.

• Football players may wear spandex as a part of their uniform, otherwise known as a form of tights.

• Swimmers wear “jammers” known to bike riders as “bike shorts”, a short version of tights.

• Various sports – guys may wear “compression shorts” or some other variation of bike shorts.

• Gymnastics – guys wear a “competition shirt”, in the dance world it’s known as a thong-back leotard. 

• Serious cyclists wear bike shorts, biketards, even unitards and tights depending on the weather.

   Some years ago, it was the fashion for boys & girls in the USA to wear bike shorts instead of normal shorts for playing.  All of these sports and more wear this type of clothing in competition, in front of huge crowds even on local and national TV from elementary sports to college and professional sports.

   

Please discuss with the ballet instructor if there are any questions regarding boy’s attire for ballet class.