How To Know What To Wear To Your First Ballet Class

Signing up for a ballet class when you’ve never danced before can is exciting, but it can also be nerve wracking…especially if you don’t know what to wear! (Or you don’t know what your child should wear.)

Since we are a dancewear shop, we know what people wear at just about every studio in our area! (Which is HUGE…we cover the entire Washington DC area.)

This post will cover…

What your child should wear to their first ballet class.

What you should wear to your first ballet class as an adult dancer.

What should your child wear to ballet class?

If your not sure what your child should wear to their first ballet class, definitely check with the studio to see if they have a uniform. Some studio’s make it easy with a specific leotard they need to wear with pink tights and a specific model of ballet shoe.

Other studio’s are more flexible and just say a black leotard, pink tights, pink ballet shoes.

If you’re still not sure after checking with the studio, we always recommend the Capezio 1916/1916C tights in the color “Ballet Pink.” Pair it with a black leotard and pink ballet shoes. The most popular ballet shoe we sell for any age is the Capezio Hanami.

If you’ve got an itty bitty dancer, aged roughly 3-6 years old and they’re just starting with a pre-ballet or creative movement kind of class, a little dance dress is a great option paired with Capezio 1916/1916C “Ballet Pink” tights and pink ballet shoes.

If you’ve got a beginner ballerina above the age of roughly 8 years old and the studio isn’t specific, a black leotard, ballet pink tights, and pink stretch canvas ballet shoes (like the Capezio Hanami) is a pretty safe choice for an outfit.

What Should You Wear To Ballet Class As A Beginner Adult Dancer?

If you are an adult and just signed up for a ballet class, there is more flexibility in outfit choice. We always suggest starting by asking the studio if there is anything specific you should wear.

If the studio doesn’t have specific guidelines and you are comfortable in a leotard and tights, that’s always a wonderful option for ballet class! Also, shoes are more personal preference for adult dancers. We love the Capezio Hanami and the So Danca SD16!

If you are more comfortable in athletic wear, leggings and a form fitting top is a good choice. Just make sure you don’t wear baggy clothing. Baggy clothing prevents the teacher from seeing your alignment and correcting you if your alignment is off.

You could also do a combination of a leotard with leggings over top (which is what I usually wore to my college ballet class.)

When going to a class at a new studio, I love checking the studio’s Instagram account to see what other people wear to class too!

If you need dancewear for your ballet class, check out our online shop! Or if you’re local to the Washington DC area, stop by one of our locations and let our staff help you!