Dance Shorts: How to Choose Your Ideal Pair

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Whether you’re getting ready for a big audition, a performance, or just trying to find something to wear to your weekly dance classes, getting the right attire for the occasion is almost as important as the dancing itself.

While judges, teachers, and an audience mostly concentrate on your technique, movement, and how well you’re dancing, the clothing you have on while doing it aren’t just for the visual purpose, they actually have a much higher importance than that. Wearing clothes that are comfortable and let you have all the freedom of movement you need will greatly affect the way you feel on stage and with that, the way you perform.

Dance Clothing: The Different Essentials

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Essential dance clothing means a different thing across different dance disciplines.

For ballet dancers, it may mean a leotard and a tutu, for tap dancers a pair of dancing shoes and loose-fitting, classic garments, while those who dance contemporary dances may need something as simple as a monochrome two-piece. Still, however different the disciplines are and however diverse their idea of the perfect clothing is, there’s still this one piece of attire that connects and unifies all of them.

Able to provide complete freedom of movement, a snug fit, and a variety of styles, a pair of good dance shorts can be found in the closet of any dancer (and gymnast!) out there, especially when girls are in question. Appropriate to wear to regular practice, an important audition, or for a performance, it’s no wonder girl’s dance shorts are such a universal item.

Still, as much as they are diverse, however, they still need to be carefully chosen. When looking to buy short pants dance attire there are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind. Starting with the type of dance you’re shopping for and ending somewhere along the lines of detailing and colour, this article will serve as your guide to finding and purchasing the best pair of short pants dance has ever seen!

Let’s go!

Choose a Style

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When it’s time to choose the style of your short dance pants (how fun to say is that?!), you’ll need to bear two things in mind.

The first, of course, is the style of dance you’re buying the shorts for. The second is the style, or design, of the shorts themselves, which is either loose or tight. Both of these things are super-important and will get you one step closer to the ideal pair of dance shorts you’ll never want to take off, so don’t leave them home when you go shopping! This might seem a bit complicated when you first think about it, but by the second thought, you’re going to understand that these two categories are actually intertwined!

For example, if you’re a ballet dancer you already know that free movement of the legs is quite important for you, so you’re going to look for shorts that will be able to give you that. Keeping this in mind, you’ll see both loose and tight shorts, but you’ll pick the tight ones as they will be like a second skin, while the looser ones may end up restricting movement in the end, even though they may seem like a better choice. If, however, you’re a hip-hop dancer, you might be more prone to go with a looser fit as it will give you just enough freedom to move while still keeping the whole idea behind the dancing itself intact. Looser garments have always been popular in hip-hop culture, so wide dance shorts are an absolute essential.

Some dancers may find shorts specifically made for their discipline, like jazz shorts, for example, so always make a point to check and see if there is a designated pair for sale.

Choose a Material

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Next up, material.

The material of your dance shorts, and overall dance clothing really, can make or break your dance routine, so always make sure to go with a good, quality-made pair. Instead of sticking with synthetic materials that won’t let your skin breathe and might end up causing issues like rashes and allergies, go for natural materials that have synthetic intertwined where needed.

For example, if you need a stretchy pair of dance shorts you might want to go for a fully elastic one, but getting a cotton blend that has been infused with a stretchy material is way better. This will allow you to move your legs as much as you want while keeping you dry and comfortable. Cotton is naturally hypoallergenic and easy to clean. What’s more, it dries quickly, so you won’t be dealing with long waiting times nor trapped moisture while performing.

This rule applies to both tight-fitting and loose-fitting shorts.

However, for those in need of sleeker materials that won’t get other clothing stuck on them while performing, you can go with shorts with a smooth synthetic surface that also have a loose mesh lining. This will provide you with both sleekness and breathability, so you’ll be comfortable and will look good!

Choose Length & Colour

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Finally, aesthetics paired with functionality aka length and colour.

Ballet dancers might want to go with nude, black, white, or other unobtrusive colours to assure their routine holds the stage instead of their outfit. This will also come in handy when you have a costume on already but still need a pair of shorts around. Lenght can go from super short to mid-thighs, depending on the rest of the attire.

Other dancers can go as low or as high as they want, but a rule of thumb is to not go lower than just above the knees as this may prevent you from performing every movement with ease. Make sure the length matches your routine and the colour its theme to get the ultimate experience.