subject: Dance Costumes - Choose A Great Leotard [print this page] When choosing a leotard for your dance costume you need to take into account several factors. These are the style, material, colour, texture and/or pattern. The main styles of dance leotard are tank, camisole, cap sleeve, long sleeve, and frilled or skirted. All of these styles are suitable to make the basis for an effective dance costume.
The tank is the most basic style of leotard. It consists of a sleeveless tank-style torso and looks similar to a swimsuit. The camisole is similar to a tank but has thinner shoulder straps which can allow for more flexibility of design such as a criss-cross back or double strap. Cap sleeve leotards have shorts sleeves and long sleeve leotards have long sleeves though there can be several variations of these such as keyhole backs or ruches. The frilled or skirted leotard can have any of the above features but will have a frill or a skirt which is usually attached to the leotard near to the hips of the dancer.
Dance leotards are also available in a wide range of different colours, textures and styles. The choice of colour can have a significant impact on how an audience perceives your performance. For example, blue colours can create a cool feeling and reds and oranges a feeling of warmth. However, theres no need to limit your dance costume to individual colours as dance leotards are also available in a wide range of different fabrics. For example, glistening creates a slight sparkle which looks great when under stage and crushed velour leotards have a velvet-like texture for a softer appearance. Therere also many prints such as Zebra, Polka Dot or even Rainbow to choose from which can also create the basis for an exciting dance costume.
Sometimes, dancers choose to decorate a plain leotard in order to create a dance costume for their performance. If you choose to do this, its important to remember to take into account the flexibility of the garment required by the dancer. Sewing extra accessories such as sequins to a leotard can make it more rigid as it restricts the stretchy properties of the fabric. Sewing on accessories can also make it difficult to take the leotard on and off so its a good idea to keep any such decorations fairly minimal. If want to cover the entire dance leotard with sequins, then the dancers movement will be considerably restricted so youre better off choosing a glittery fabric for the dance leotard itself. This will enable the dance leotard to have the sparkling properties you desire without compromising on flexibility.
Whatever leotard you choose as a basis for your dance costume theres no need to spend a fortune. There are now a large number of dance retailers who provide high quality leotards from brands such as Capezio and Roch Valley at excellent prices. If you choose to buy online you should make sure that the website you choose has a secure payment process. Its also a good idea to check out there terms and conditions to make sure the service you get is excellent.
