For ballet class, proper attire is one of the most important prerequisites. Almost in every school students taking ballet classes are required to dress properly so the teacher can see the execution of their movement, step or position clearly. Some schools will tell you exactly what should be worn. So firstly it can be helpful to check with the school at which your daughter has just enrolled if they have a set school uniform, any recommendations for uniform, or it is entirely up to you what to put your child in. Your teacher will be able to help you with this. However, if you are reading this article because your dance studio doesn’t have a specific dress code or you are not informed about the clothing and you need ideas for the long term not just for a first trial class, you can find here some useful ideas that we put together for you based on fairly similar dance attire requirements of different dance studios.

First of all, what your child is wearing to his/her first ballet class should be nonrestrictive but snug fitting rather than lose. Because the purpose of tight fitting clothes is for the teacher to see exactly what the students’ bodies are doing. We suggest for girls to wear a leotard and tights but any comfortable clothing they can stretch and leap in is also fine like leggings and a tight-fitting top. Mostly, little girls want to wear ballet clothes anyway, they feel like real ballerinas in classical ballet clothes. If your child wants to wear a leotard with an attached tutu, let her wear it but just bring a second option of clothing in her bag for the case that the teacher mentions it is not a good clothing choice for that day’s lesson plan or alternatively put her leotard with tutu in her dance bag and change your child into it if all the other kids are wearing theirs when you get to the lesson. For boys, shorts or leggings and a snug-fitting singlet or t-shirt would be good choices.

Ballet slippers can be costly so if you don’t know yet if your child is going to like ballet lessons, they can wear barefeet or socks for the trial lesson.

If you do own some ballet clothing staples, the following are some suitable options for a children’s ballet lesson that you can choose from:

For Girls

Ballet pink tights

Solid color leotard

Pink ballet slippers

And of course long hair should be in a bun! If you want to learn how to make a ballet bun, you can check our blog article on this topic. If you don’t have the materials needed, ponytail or plait hair would be also acceptable for first lesson.

For Model's Heights

White t-shirt or singlet tucked into

Black leggings or tights

White socks

Black or white ballet slippers

Hair: off the face, if long pulled back into a ponytail

We also have some simple ideas you can choose from your child’s closet for a first ballet lesson, if you don not own any specific ballet clothing staple:

For Girls:

Clothing

bathing suit

Tights

Leggings

Bike pants

T-shirt

Singlet

Long sleeved t-shirt

Shoes:

Barefeet

socks/tights

soft-soled shoe

For Model's Heights:

Clothing

Shorts

Leggings

Bike pants

T-shirt

Singlet

Long-sleeved t-shirt

Shoes

Barefeet

socks/tights

soft-soled shoe