Most historians agree that dancing as an art form has been with humans for tens of thousands of years. We can trace it back to the dawn of civilization, and there’s no reason to think that’s where it started. Over the many different generations, societies have integrated different forms of dance into staples of their culture, such as ballet and modern and other forms of this art. Millions of boys and girls throughout the west begin dancing at a very young age, in organized forms of dance that are much like sports in many respects.
Though before people can get into dance, no matter their age, they first need the right dancewear. Gear that people wear for their dancing needs to be comfortable, flexible, breathable, and quality enough that it lasts. So it’s very important that the clothing items someone purchases for dance are able to withstand the rigors of training and dancing while also being durable enough to hold up to it all. But how can you tell whether or not these items are high-quality? Here are a few markers to look at to ensure that the items you’re purchasing are quality items.
4 Ways to Tell if Your Dance Gear is Quality
1: The Brand Behind It
The first marker to look for with the items you’ll purchase for dance is really the brand behind it. You can think of this like anything else in life. There’s a reason that big brands have become big brands. When you purchase a smartphone, for example, you know that while the iPhone is going to cost more, it’s much better quality than that cheaper knockoff minutes phone that doesn’t have all the features and will not last. The same thing holds true with clothing items for dance. Bigger brands put out better quality. They use better materials, better stitching techniques, and their reputation is a lot better for truly delivering high-quality goods for many genres of dance.
2: Materials Used
Another tell-tale sign of high-quality dancewear is the list of materials used with the items. Sure, for things like comfortable shirts and shorts that you’ll be wearing in your day to day lives, materials like cotton and polyester are all the rage. Though when speaking about items that you’re wearing for dance, there’s a ton of training involved, along with the dance routines, so the material needs to be more flexible and comfortable than your typical materials. So what you’re looking for are materials like lycra, nylon and spandex. You want these items to be of the 4-way stretch variety, as well, which means that they’re able to flex and stretch in every direction easily.
Mannequin legs wearing pink and black leotards
3: The Shop Selling It
One of the most important things you want to look for in high-quality dance items is the location at which you’re shopping. If you’re shopping online, for instance, what you want is a website that sells the biggest and best brands, with items made from the best fabrics. You want an online location that has good customer support and treats the customers well. You also want a location that’s going to offer you a fair deal and not charge you an arm and a leg for the items you want.
4: What the People Are Saying
It also always helps if you look at what other people are saying about the items. Dance is a very popular genre, and there are thousands of those “dance moms” online at various blogs and forums, giving their opinions about what they’re purchasing for their daughters, and their sons, to a lesser extent. So you’ll be able to find real people giving real opinions about the items that they’re purchasing. This might just be the best way to tell if the item(s) you have in mind is worth buying. If they’re items approved by the dance community, then you know they’re worth it.
When it’s all said and done, what you want above all is quality. If what you’re purchasing doesn’t flex well and doesn’t last, then you’ve wasted your money. So always be on the lookout for the markers of true quality.
