In a word, yes. First and foremost the footwear for each class (ballet, jazz, hip hop, etc.) is going to be different. As for the dancewear itself, it usually boils down to style rather than, say, fabric or fit.

For example, Motionwear might use the same fabrics for a jazz leotard as a ballet leotard, but the look of those two leotards is going to be markedly different.

So, what are the different types of dancewear “looks” for the three big styles of dance?

Ballet

Ballerinas are conservative. Partly because it’s a strict requirement of their school and partly because that’s just the style. Ballet is an old form of dance steeped in tradition and part of that tradition is the dress. So, you’ll typically see ballerinas wearing either pink or black leotards (unless their school dictates otherwise) with tights. There isn’t a lot of wiggle room in ballet (pardon the pun) for personal expression through attire.

Jazz

Jazz, like the art form itself, definitely tends to be a lot more “free” in its dancewear choices. Here at Motionwear, we sell a lot of tanks, booty shorts and bra tops for jazz dancers. They tend to like the flexibility of separate pieces that are both comfortable and versatile along with the range of colors and prints.

Hip Hop

A big part of hip hop dance is the attitude and part of that attitude is personal expression. Personal expression includes dancewear and in hip hop, almost anything goes.

Depending on your studio, you could probably get away with wearing jeans to class if you wanted to (after one sweaty sesssion, you’d probably never want to do it again, but still). So, hip hop dancers don’t tend to snatch up the leotards and instead will gravitate towards the more colorful and modern separates.

A dancer could wear the same leotard to every dance class, but they don’t usually. Instead, they opt to wear clothing styles that fit the style of dance they’re practicing at that time.

Photo: Lieven SOTE

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