Well-Chosen Dance Costumes Can Mesmerize Your Audience

April 4, 2007 by sachinskg

Dance costumes can be as striking and awe-inspiring as the actual dance performance itself. That is why dancers go to a lot of trouble to make sure their costumes are just right for the big performance.

These dance costumes may serve different purposes and come in all shapes and sizes but the one common bond is that they are spectacular to look at. Dance costumes enhance the dancer’s movements. Because they surround the body, every move a dancer makes will have an effect on the clothes he or she wears.

Generally, certain types of dance costumes are traditional to the history and culture of the dance during which they are displayed.

One of the classic examples is ballet, in which the women often wear long or short tutus with a tight-fitting leotard and hard-tipped satin shoes. The men are almost always in tights and loose-fitting tunics.

Often in a single ballet production, the dancers would go through several costume changes. However, all costumes would fulfill the general requirements for the genre so that the dancers are able to perform comfortably and to the full extent of their dancing skills.

While the dance costumes for ballet are elegant and sober to reflect the mood, the other extreme is belly dancing, which requires vigorous and continuous movement.

As a sensuous dance, the belly dancing costume needs to be stunning and loud at the same time to capture the essence of the rhythm. The belly dancer may start off slow, with a sultry swaying movement and gradually quicken the pace as the music intensifies.

While this is happening, her costume, normally frilly, sequined and lined with tiny bells, would move with the flow and not look out of place whether she is dancing at a slow pace or at maximum speed.

Another extreme is swing dancing, which requires a completely different style of dance costume altogether. The clothing for swing dancing harks back to the early period of modern dance with practical yet elegant clothing that reflects the clean, informal and athletic style of dance.

The main thing about your dance costume is that it is not only for you. Of course, you need to wear clothes that are comfortable, durable and enable you to perform your full repertoire of moves. But you are also playing to an audience, and that is where your dance costume must really win over the crowd.

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