Figuring out what dance clothes to wear for your daily dance classes may seem simple, but each class requires a different type of outfit. From ballet and modern to rehearsals and improv, I find myself changing outfits frequently. Since I have been dancing for a long time now, I have figured out which brands I should spend my money on to get high-quality dance clothes, while picking pieces from different stores for items that are for classes and rehearsals that are less expensive. If you’re a dancer and you are in search of stores to buy dance clothes from, then you should consider looking at some of these stores that I like.
Leotards:
Discount Dance has the largest selection of leotards that I have seen from any online store. They have tons of different brands who offer a large variety of different leotards. I buy almost all of my leotards from here, and I feel like I can always count on the leotards to be high quality with decent prices. Most of the leotards are simple, but they are great for my daily dance classes.
Yumiko is one of the most famous brands for leotards. They offer a collection of leotards with customizable colored fabric. Yumiko’ leotards are more expensive than Discount Dance, but their quality makes the leotards worth the price. The designs are still relatively simple, but you can create a leotard with different colors to have a class leotard that is more unique. You can also go to their in-store location in New York to find ready-to-wear leotards.
Elevé offers the most customizable leotards out of these three stores. Like Yumiko, Elevé offers a selection of styles of leotards that can be customized with different fabrics. Their leotards are around the same price as Yumiko’s; however, you can choose fabrics with different colors and patterns to make an even more unique leotard from Elevé. They also offer ready-to-wear leotards with a set style and design for some leotards. I find that their leotards have amazing quality, but due to their higher prices, I only have one leotard that I use for more special occasions. If you are in the market for a fancy leotard, this would be a brand to check out.
Sports Bras, Leggings, Athletic Pants, and Shorts:
Lululemon has to be one of my favorite stores to shop at for dance clothes and athletic wear for working out. All of their products are of high quality; however, they are pretty expensive. I think it is worth your money to purchase a few staple items from this store because these items will last you forever.
Gap’s Gapfit has recently become one of my favorite stores to buy athletic clothes from. I never thought of Gap as an athletic wear company, but their Gapfit items are perfect for dance. I buy most of my looser fit athletic pants from them. I also have bought many pairs of leggings and sports bras that have lasted for a few years. Their quality is just as good as Lululemon’s, just with a lower price tag.
KTRNA is another popular dance clothing brand for sports bras, leggings, and shorts. They have a smaller selection of items, but they have great staple pieces. I have a few items from this store that have lasted for a couple of years now.
Jo and Jax have great sports bras, leggings, shorts, and warm-up clothes. Their items are geared more towards younger dancers, but I still have some sports bras that I bought a few years ago that I still wear.
Popular athletic brands and athletic wear retail stores will all carry items that you can use for dance class. I have bought a few items from stores like Nike, Adidas, Champion, etc; however, I do not like the large logos that are often displayed on their clothes. I use these items more for working out and less for dance classes.
Thrift Stores:
I tend to go through a lot of shirts, pants, and other warm-ups/cover-up clothes throughout the week. I use these types of clothes in rehearsals, classes that do not have a strict dress code or to just improv. Since I need so many of these types of clothes that are more like “normal” clothes, I often shop at thrift stores to get these items.
You can go to almost any thrift store to find t-shirts, athletic pants, or any other type of cover-up clothes that you would like to wear for class. Instead of buying these clothes for full price at a popular retail store, you end up saving a lot of money by getting thrifted clothes. This way, I also don’t feel bad for sweating in these clothes or getting them dirty because I know I didn’t spend a lot of money on them.
These are some of my favorite places to buy dance clothes for my classes and rehearsals, but there are also many other places that you can buy similar items from. It took me a while to find stores that carried items which were high quality and within my price range. I hope that this helps anyone that is having a hard time finding clothes for their dance classes!