Believe it or not, you probably have almost everything you need for dance class already in your closet!
With the exception of footwear, dance wear for adults beginner recreation classes generally follows one cardinal rule: COMFORT all the way!
The ideal clothes to dance in should give you a full range of movement but be fitted sufficiently that you almost don’t notice them. So stay away from too tight (ie. irritate you, have to be picked out of places where they shouldn’t be or rearranged every few minutes) or too loose (ie. too long, baggy, a general tripping hazard).
For the vast majority of time, leggings worn with a tshirt are absolutely fine.
For most traditional forms of dance, confirm studio dress code in your dancer handbook first but if you forget consider that what you wear on your legs should allow the teacher to see the line of your leg.
For non-traditional forms such as Hip Hop or Breakdance, clothes that help you to get into the ‘essence’ of the dance style can be both fun and functional. Bring out your inner swag!!
Dance Shoes for Adults
Traditional classes (ie. tap, ballet, pointe) usually have specific footwear requirements, non traditional ones usually you’re okay with a sneaker. Check with the studio to confirm generic sneaker versus jazz sneaker or something else.
Bare feet for lyrical/contemporary and if you forget shoes is always an option.
The most important thing to note about footwear for any class, any dancer at any studio – INDOOR SHOES ONLY!! So many reasons but for the purpose of this post, let’s just say wear and tear is minimized when the shoe is worn for it’s intended purpose only. Save those shoes y’all!
VERY IMPORTANT DANCE WEAR ADVICE
Be very careful about dance clothes and shoe sizing. Much of the time like with most things, the sizing will be slightly different from what you are used to for regular clothing and footwear.
The best thing to do is either:
-Buy your dancewear in person at a store and try EVERYTHING
-Before ordering online, ALWAYS read the sizing guidelines! Take all personal measurements and if buying from a third party selling site (ie. Amazon), read the comments and reviews especially around sizing recommendations.
A few final tips …