Wearing the correct dance costumes and shoes is important for a variety of reasons. 

One of the main reasons for wearing the correct dance costumes for a particular dance style is to evoke the feeling, style and period of the dance.

Dancing is physical so comfort is high on the agenda. With comfort also comes safety as a salsa dancer would not want to be wearing a full, bellowing skirt although they would when carrying out a ballroom dancing routine.

Dance costumes are specifically designed and constructed to aid the dancer in each particular dance, to be comfortable, unrestrictive and enhance the dancer’s for the dance. Dance is such a visual sport that costumes do play a huge role and they also help the dancer get into the role within the routine. A ballroom costumes for example will be flowing and give a graceful feel whilst an argentine tango costumes will be fitted and more revealing to match the style of the dance. Dance costumes are now far more comfortable and allow for far more movement today. Lycra and other technical fabrics allow the costumes designer to design the most intricate and show stopping clothing. You only need to look at the Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars programmes.

Colour plays a huge role in the look of the costumes which then, in turn, can portray a different image of the dance. A classic and beautiful waltz costume would suit a pastel shade whereas for a fiery tango, it would be red or black for example, most definitely not a pastel shade. It is rare to see a dance costume made fully in a patterned fabric. A patterned fabric can distort the body and in competitive dance, it can hinder dancers as the judge cannot correctly see the alignment of the body.

Dance costumes have definitely evolved with time and do change depending on certain fashion trends but their core is always steeped in tradition. Take ballroom dancewear for example.  Known to be originated in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, ballroom dancing was performed only by the elite class at parties and balls. The graceful nature of the dance means even modern day ballroom dancewear has the gracefulness that the clothing had at the time the dance originated but it has now been combined with the latest fabrics so it is far easier for the dancer to perform.

When discussing dance costumes , the main focus is on usually on the female costume but male costumes are just as important albeit more understated. It is very important for the male costumes to complement the females in style and often a hint of the same colour is integrated into the male costume as well. A man’s costume must enable him to lift the female if the dance requires it and in routines where he must slide along the floor, knee protection pads for example need to be added. These are all factors that need to be taken into account by the costume designer. With such technical specifications and purposes, the testing out of costumes in rehearsals is imperative especially before a competitive dance routine. The costumes must withstand the dance, protect the dancer and enable them to move freely. From an aesthetic point of view, it must also complement the dance.

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