Improved posture, increased aerobic power and muscle strength, reducing joint pain and stiffness, uplifted mood and eased anxiety while building social bonds are just some of the reasons why is dancing good for you.
Maybe you found your old girls ballet tutu while spring cleaning or were inspired after binging a dance show this lockdown. No matter the reason, starting up dancing or stirring up the parts of your dancer’s past is a good idea for both mind and body. However, when you approach a stage, you should dress to impress. Here are some reasons why clothing is important in dance:
It’s All About the Tutu
Balle has been described as “The perfect space for ideal femininity: thin bodies, frilly skirts, speechlessness; graceful movements making it all look easy while hiding the pain, physical anguish for beauty.”
Ballet’s messages can push in the direction of constricting girls’ voices, imaginations and bodies. On the other hand, it can work in self-affirming way. First and foremost, it holds an enduring place in art and culture as an activity requiring a high level of seriousness and skill. Subsequently, ballet can encourage individual expression and create space for the development of girls’ aspirations and fantasies in a serious and respectful atmosphere. In fact, ballet can be used to shape both girls’ and womens’ social and artistic personas, not just their clothing choices.
Why do ballerinas wear tutus in the first place and how did the metamorphosis from Greek-inspired dress to the bell-shaped Romantic tutu take place? The design of the long white, bell-shaped dress made of layers of muslin, or a variety of muslin called tarlatan, has often been attributed to Eugene Lami, designer of costumes for La Sylphid.
We may never be sure of the exact moment when a soft, flowy, white dress became the “uniform” of the ballet dancer. What we do know that in 1734 the French dancer Marie Sallé appeared in Pigmalion, a work she choreographed and in which she took the role of a statue that comes to life and dances with the sculptor who created it.
Sallé caused a stir because she shortened her skirt, daring to show of her ankles and removed parts of the restrictive ballet costume she was used to wearing so that she had more freedom to move. As it turns out, ballet was much more about freedom and strength than it’s the princess attitude it’s mostly connected to today.
Don’t get us wrong, there’s nothing wrong about being a princess, on the contrary. However, it’s much more about strength, pose and grace instead of the implications of vague, depthless and dangerous type of girliness that the modern princess craze has connected ballet to. On the contrary, the right tutu for women can help revive your old flames and remind you what you’re made of. In addition, you can fuel the spark in your daughter’s eyes with the perfect girls ballet tutu that will show of her skills.
What kind of fabric is traditionally used for ballet tutus? The arrival in the West of the fabric called muslin, of which Sallé’s revolutionary costume was made, was a defining moment in the development of ballet costuming.
Muslin, probably first made in Mosul, a city in present day Iraq, is a fine, woven white cotton that was also widely made on the Indian subcontinent and was subsequently imported to England. Its popularity increased following excavations associated with the ancient city of Pompeii which had a lasting influence on patterns of taste in Europe.
For the fashion conscious European woman, muslin was a physical manifestation of the costumes of Greek statues that were unearthed at Pompeii, thus, gradually making white muslin the fabric of choice. In addition, white clothing also indicated status as a a white garment was still hard to keep clean so the well-dressed woman in a pristine white outfit was clearly rich enough to have many dresses in her wardrobe, and no doubt someone to wash them for her.
Sneakers Keep it Dirty
If you didn’t think that street wear would ever belong on a red carpet, designers like Marc Jacobs are here to prove you otherwise. In fact, many have decided to celebrate and pay their respects to a culture that represents putting up a strong fight, make it out and make it.
Fashion has always been an important part of the hip-hop identity Or as producer and filmmaker Sacha Jenkins, director of the 2015 hip-hop fashion documentary “Fresh Dressed” put it: “ ..when you don’t have much ownership over where you can land in society, your financial situation, your educational situation, the one thing you can control is the way you look.”
This attitude is an integral part of hip-hop dance and is something that you have to bring on the dance floor The joyful rebellion needs to run from the laces of your street shoe to your golden hoops and chain.
The Ball Needs a Cinderella
Dancing with the Stars and its numerous imitators and “classics” as Shall We Dance? Have proven that apparently, we like seeing men and women elegantly fox-trotting and waltzing across the screen.
Does this mean that society is returning to more traditional notions of what it means to be men and women? Or that the lines have gotten so blurred, it’s as liberating of gender roles as it can get?
Women to assume elegant, passive, and fragile mannerisms contrary to men’s protection, leadership, and financial security were reflected within ballroom dance techniques.
The 60ties threatened to be the end of ballroom dancing. However, it didn’t die, despite challenges. This is due to the multidimensionality of gender identity and the diversity of the social world of ballroom dance.
The contemporary ballroom dance world is one of the few environments where rigid Victorian gender sensibilities coexist with progressive, twenty-first century ideology. Dominating being dominated by a male lead while tattooed adolescent females coquette with gay male leads.
In fact, surveys have identified the majority of the female ballroom dancers had complex gender identities. Although they tried to fight the rigid roles society has put on them for so long, hey find an innocent, productive, creative and beautiful way to express their sensuality, without paying a price for it.
Although practice attire varied from leotards and skirts to casual clothes, during ballroom performances almost every female dancer—including staunch feminists—dressed in extremely traditional attire. For instance, many gowns were made of lightweight, delicate material, were decorated with rhinestones and crystals, and were cut to emphasize the curvaceous physique of the female.
Costume selection is big. Even when given the option to wear less feminine costumes, many still strongly preferred ultra feminine gowns. One explained her preference, “That’s one of the beauties of ballroom dance. I’m a woman and I love to be pretty.”
In spite of their progressive, nontraditional, and often androgynous personas, they gained pleasure from taking on the temporary identity of a traditionally feminine woman. It seemed to us that these women were re-appropriating the meaning of femininity.
Heels for Southern Heat
One of the things that come to mind when we think of Latin dances Is the sound of the heels the dancers wear or their seductive shine following the mesmerising silhouette of the dancer.
Latin dance shoes weigh less, thus, are more flexible than your regular street shoes. The flexibility gives your foot the chance to move more freely while your heel is stationary. This will help you make tight turns as you Salsa, rumba and tango the night away.
The Latin dance shoe has got to fit like a glove. The fit has got to be perfection around the ankle. The shoes will stretch after you use them, but not so much that you have to get a tight shoe. Don't settle in this department. A great fitting dance shoe is a game changer. It improves your connection to the music, the floor and the people you dance with.
Womens Salsa shoes have a heel to increase your balance and create a clean line. Although heels can range from one-half inch to 4 inches, don't wear a heel higher than 2.5 inches if you’re just starting out.
Flared heels are among the most popular styles for women. Also, the higher the heel, the more weight is put on the ball of the foot. Consequently, you’re enabled to perform the quick, easy moves that Salsa calls for.
Open toe shoes are meant for Latin and rhythm dances, such as Salsa, Rumba and tango. Closed toe shoe, on the other hand, are designed for dances like the Foxtrot and Waltz.
Additionally, a great pair of Latin dance shoes should have extra padding in the shoe and cushioning across the foot bed to relieve pressure and absorb shock. Choose supported heels and arches for more stability as being wobbly on the dancefloor is not an option.
