Traditional ballet teachers can seem fussy about the dress code in their studios. There is a reason for this.
When a teacher is looking over a class in motion, visual clutter needs to be at a minimum. Black leotards and pink tights are a good uniform landscape for the teacher.
The black of the leotard emphasizes the line of the posture, the upper back and neck suppleness/tension, the hip/leg break and alignment correctness, and makes it easiest to respond to what is seen with ongoing and detailed corrections.
For instance, it is easy to see, even across a large studio, if the back of the thigh is not pulled up as needed, if the dancer is wearing pink tights. The line of the muscles is hidden in dark tights. It is also easy to see bulky tension in thigh muscles that should be more elongated.
Distractions such as multi-colored clothing, and sloppy leg warmers prevent the teacher from being at their top efficiency,
Just like office folk get to wear more casual clothes to work on Fridays, my student-day classes were allowed to wear colored leotards and black tights on Saturdays. We pushed it, and came to class with bright leg warmers, print head bands and jewelry just bigger than the allowed tiny stud pierced earrings. We were always asked to remove the tiniest of neck chains.
Of course there were always cold winter days when sweaters and body-length woolies were necessary. And it's not like a teacher can't see plain bad placement through all that, but finer details are hidden.
The artistry of ballet depends on the ultra-perfectionistic and over-idealized form being sought, and then being surrendered to an allowing energy flow, that releases expression and drama.
I wish I could say that a better, but all I'm really talking about is that the norm for strict ballet wear that any ballet store provides, ultimately supports the best results for ballet exercises, ballet for weight loss, ballet strengthening regimens, pointe work et al, as it allows the teacher to see what's going on in a large class full of diverse talent.
Dianne M. Buxton is a graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada. She taught at, and choreographed for The National Ballet School, York University, and George Brown College, in Canada, and taught at Harvard University in the U.S.
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