How to Choose Your Dance Costume
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Dancing has been around as long as humans because it’s an integral part of our lives. We learn how to move our bodies from a small age, and even though some might consider themselves not good enough to do it, we all dance in one way or another. Plus, there are many health benefits from dancing, such as better coordination and flexibility, improved heart and bone health, greater self-esteem and even better social skills.
All of this makes dancing a worthwhile activity, suitable for all ages. Some decide to do it just for fun while others take it more seriously. Now, if it’s your first performance, you might be wondering what kind of clothing you need. It’s essential that you have the proper dance costume in order to be able to give the best of you.
Consider the Type of Dance You Are Doing
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Since clothing is a wide category, to choose the right outfit for you, you need to consider the type of dance you’re going to do. Not everything is suitable for every type and, oftentimes, the dance schools have certain requirements that students must follow. Since you’re performing in front of an audience, the costume can be specifically made to express some theme related to the dance, to engage the audience, or just make everything look nice and coordinated. There’s a great variety of dance costumes for you to choose from, so you’ll for sure find the apparel you need.
Ballet Costumes
Ballet is one of the most performed types of dance. For performances, besides appropriate ballet shoes, you need the right costume as well. Since ballet movements are all about grace, balance, and strength, the costume should be able to reflect that.
Depending on the theme of the dance, certain features might be required for your costume, but generally, it shouldn’t be distracting and it should work in your favour. This means that your movements need to be clearly visible and there are certain designs that can even make your neck or arms appear longer and more elegant.
One common type of clothing is the leotard that’s usually more embellished for performances. You could also choose to add a bodice or a tutu for an overall display of beauty and grace.
Costumes for Lyrical Dancing
Lyrical dancing is a combination of more types of dance and lyrics is included as well, which means the emotions should be translated in the dancers’ movements and clothing. The dance costumes are very elegant and often feature flowy materials that emphasise the slow movements. These are usually handkerchief dresses that are simple yet able to highlight every separate movement.
Other popular options include unitards or full-bodied leotards that can be decorated with something unique to set you apart from the rest of the dancers or to make your team recognisable.
Jazz and Hip-Hop Costumes
Jazz and hip-hop outfits include one of the most elaborate costumes. They’re often themed and fitted to the song that’s being performed. For jazz performances, uniformity is preferred so the group can look like it’s moving as a whole. These costumes are very eye-catching so as to draw attention to every movement. For hip-hop performances, there’s more freedom to what you can wear, just like with the dance itself. Comfortable clothing that allows you to do every move without restrictions is preferred.
You can find many stores for dance costumes australia wide, so take your time and choose the ideal costume that will help you perform and make you feel powerful.
What Are Dance Costumes Made Of?
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When it comes to the materials, the costumes need to be made of the right type so they fit as they should.
Stretchy fabrics are required for fitted costumes. These follow your body shape and should be flexible so they don’t rip as soon as you start moving. Spandex is a commonly used fabric for this purpose. This stretchy fiber is part of all performance wear and even swimwear. You can find it in leotards, skirts, and bodysuits.
Chiffon fabric is sheer and lightweight. It can be silk or polyester but the second one is much more common because of its lower cost, durability, and stain resistance. Anything that needs to flow around, like skirts and veils, can be made of this material.
Satin is lightweight as well and often used for making costumes because of its gorgeous sheen. It has that luxurious look, which makes it suitable for all kinds of occasions, and unlike chiffon, it isn’t see-through.
Velvet looks expensive and it’s thicker than the other materials. It’s sort of fuzzy, soft, and smooth. It’s commonly used for making a costume look luxurious without much fuss.
There are many other materials that are used for costume making and the best one is that in which the dancer feels comfortable. It should be able to conform to the body movements without restricting you in any way.
Make Sure Your Dance Costume Fits as It Should
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Because you need the best fit possible in order to feel confident, it’s best to try it if you can. In this way, you’ll be able to see what works and what doesn’t for your particular body shape and whether it matches the theme of the dance. But since most of the purchases are done online today, there are many stores for dance costumes online that you can check out. This is probably the easier way as well because you can order everything from the comfort of your home. When you’re browsing through the numerous costumes, have your goal in mind. Think about what you’re trying to achieve with your look and what the function of the costume is.
When the costume arrives, try it on and test it out. See if you can move and even do your routine. This is essential to do so you can see if everything’s like it’s supposed to be because it would be too late to find out on performance day that your costume is big around the waist or very tight in the shoulder area. There even might be some visible costume malfunctions that you need to fix before the big day. Making sure that all the pieces are in their place will give you peace of mind and you’ll be able to concentrate on your performance.
