Ballet Costumes

Ballet is a performance dance, which has its origin in the majestic era of the Italian Renaissance Courts (during the 15th century). It was further explicated in other countries like Russia, France and England, where it became popular as a formalized concert dance. Ballet dancing is all about the delicate and accurate body movements, which are well coordinated with the swift foot movements. It takes a lot of practice and persistence to perform the polished ballet dance moves. To attain all those difficult and flexible body movements, there is a need of two important things. These things are - the ballet shoes and the ballet costumes. The ballet costumes have constantly undergone a subtle change, alongside the ballet dancing. Hence, it is very important for us to get to know the history of ballet dancing for a better understanding of the importance of the ballet costumes.

History of Ballet Costumes

Initial days of the ballet dancing were all about the richness and perfection of the royal Italian Courts. Ballet costumes reflected this richness and as a result, they were made of extravagant cloths with heavy brocades, huge ornaments and head pieces. As they were made of a heavy cloth, they actually restricted the ballet dance moves. As a result, during early 18th century, a ballerina (lady ballet dancer) introduced a shorter version of these ballet skirts. It caught the attention of many ballet critics and audiences too! But, surprisingly, these shorter ballet costumes were not much criticized and were quite easily accepted by the audiences. They came as a huge relief for the dancers and made it easy for them to experiment with them.

Later, during the late 18th and 19th century, ballet costumes again underwent a series of transmission. It was the era, when the ballerinas wore calf length ballet costumes. They wore these white ballet costumes for women, which were usually made of tulle (mesh). These ballet costumes were accompanied with pointed satin shoes, which made it easy for the dancers to perform those difficult ballet moves. Men on the other hand, wore tights and long sleeved shirts. These shirts were usually covered with shorter jackets. The sleeves of the ballet costumes for men and women were determined upon the theme of the ballet dancing. As a result, there are various patterns of the ballet costumes, for each character, even today! Read about the famous ballets.

Today's Ballet Costumes

Today, ballet costumes are called as 'ballet tutus'. A tutu is a ballet skirt that a ballerina wears. There are various types of ballet tutu. It can be made using a single, as well as multiple layers of a cloth. These layers are stretched out and strutted around the body of the ballerina. These ballet costumes help the dancers to easily perform their body movements, without interfering with the dance moves. The ballet tutus are often attached with a leotard, which is a skintight piece of garment, that covers the torso. The leotards are often full sleeved and they are mostly used by the gymnasts, athletes and dancers. Here are some basic types of the ballet tutu:

• Bell Tutu: As the name suggests, a bell tutu has the shape of a bell and it is made without using the wire hoops. It is made of many layers of fabric and is longer than the classical pancake tutu.
• Pancake Tutu: This skirt has multiple layers of fabric which are stretched outwards from the hips of the wearer. Hand stitches and wire hoops are used to keep the skirt firm.
• Romantic Tutu: The romantic tutu is made of 3 to 12 layers of the fabric. This skirt is generally attached with the bodice. These free flowing tutus symbolize romantic theme of the ballet dancing.
• Platter Tutu: As the name suggests, a platter tutu looks like a fabric disk surrounding the waistline of the dancer.
• Powder Puff Tutu: This tutu is also called as just 'powder puff' and is actually a combination of the bell tutu and the pancake tutu. This kind of tutu is loosely assembled, which gives it a bit fuller and softer appearance. No wire hoops are used for making this tutu and only a few layers (2 to 5) of the fabric are used.

The above mentioned are a few of the ballet costumes for girls and women. There are many other types of ballet costumes, which are popular by various names. Traditionally, ballet costumes are made using sleek and flowing materials like tulle, muslin, nylon, voile, tarlatan and/or organdy. Male ballet dancers still wear tights and long sleeved shirts. The short jackets have been replaced and mostly withdrawn from many of the ballet dancing themes. Know more about ballet music, ballet dancer shoes and clothings

Today, there are many dance clothing stores, that offer you with some great deals in cheap ballet costumes. They are available with colors and patterns, that won't fail to attract you. One can also find some great ballet costumes online. All you have to do is select the best one that suits you! On this note, I conclude this article about the 'ballet costumes'! Hope it was helpful to you!