Dress Code Update — Male Dancers
We are dedicating this whole post to our male (and those who identify as male) dancers. Please review the following so you are coming to class in the appropriate attire.
Ballet Levels: Novice, 1, 2, Men’s Dance, Teen, Adult
White, black or maroon T-Shirt or Tank Top (no designs or logos)
Athletic Pants or shorts
Teens & Adults (Dance Belt suggested)
Black Ballet Slippers
Hair tied back if it is long
Ballet Levels 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Fitted Shirt or Tank Top - White, Maroon, or Black (no designs or logos)
Black Male Ballet Tights, black bike shorts, fitted black athletic joggers, black athletic shorts
Biketard (black)
Black ballet Slippers
Dance belt (when appropriate, feel free to talk to a male instructor for guidance, information also in this post).
Hair tied back if it is long
Jazz, Musical Theatre, Lyrical, Contemporary, Modern, Tap, Dance Tech
T-shirt or Tank Top: Solid Color (no logos or designs)
Athletic Pants, Athletic Shorts (No jeans)
Shoes:
Jazz & Musical Theatre: Jazz Shoes or Jazz Sneakers
Tap: Tap Shoes
Lyrical, Contemporary, Modern: Turner, Ballet Slippers, Paws, Bare Feet
Hair tied back if it is long
Hip Hop
T-shirt, tank top or sweatshirt (no profanity or offensive language)
Athletic Pants, Athletic Shorts, or Sweatpants (no jeans)
Shoes: CLEAN light soled tennis shoes
Hair tied back if it is long
Fitness for the Dancer & Progressive Ballet Technique
T-shirt or tank top
athletic shorts or pants
Bring clean tennis shoes.
Equipment: Bands
Hair tied back if it is long.
Acro
T-shirt or tank top
Athletic Shirts or pants
bare feet
Hair tied back if it is long
Teen Males
T-shirt or tank top
Athletic pants or shorts or sweatpants
see shoe suggestions for styles above. Socks are fine for Musical Theatre and Jazz. Highly suggest Jazz shoes.
Now let’s dive into the uncomfortable topic of dance belts. Actually, it is not an uncomfortable topic, we luckily have great male mentors and instructors for the male students to get answers regarding dance belts and all things male dancers. At GSD we are thankful and take pride that we have great male instructors to help our male students.
What is a Dance Belt?
A dance belt is an undergarment that male ballet dancer’s wear to support their genitals. This is a specialized garment and can be found in dance stores and online dance store sites.
Most men/boys start wearing a dance belt at the age of 10.
Why do I need to wear a dance belt?
Just like females have undergarments to keep body parts in place and secure, and athletes wear jockstraps to keep genitals protected, male dancer’s wear dance belts under their dance attire to support their male anatomy and help prevent injury to their genitals.
This is worn in place of underwear and comes in a thong style and brief style. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but if it fits properly it shouldn’t bother you after a short period of time. Dance belts give you the ease to jump, leap and fully dance, with knowing you won’t feel a pain when you land.
If you have questions regarding dance belts, please discuss with one of our male instructors (Matt Gasper or Patrick Kasper). Both these men will help guide your male dancer.