Dance Essentials I Recommend For Starting Again

Since I started ballet again, I wanted to help out those who need advice on what they should wear/have during dance class. These are just my suggestions and what I think about them. I used some of these myself so if you need a personal opinion, here you go!

A Comfortable Leotard |
Of course, the basic leotard is an essential in ballet. One that I recommend for beginners are ones that are comfortable and that are not to revealing. I know if you are a beginner it is scary to show your body especially like me. I wore so many layers that it isn't funny. I recommend a short sleeve leotard that is very basic. I don't think you should go with open backs or criss-cross just yet unless you are okay and comfortable with showing your body. It took me a while when I was in my teens to transfer over and now that I put on some weight I am glad I still have my basic leotards with me.




Tights |
I have had Danskin tights since I started dance. My mom loves the tights and swears by them. I still have the tights and they are in perfect condition. I really love them and they are very comfortable to wear. I love that they are not too pink or not too white and are just the right ballet pink for me. Getting tights you like is very important because you should know if they breathe right and even fit to your liking. 

Wrap Skirt |
Actually any type of short skirt will do. I love these because they cover just right on me and I like that they aren't too long or too short to be so revealing even in a leotard. I choose black because it is basic but if you are required a color than follow that. And make sure if you could wear a skirt in class because some studios might have a dress code. Luckily, mine doesn't have a strict one so I can wear mostly any accessory I want.





Ballet Shoes |
A must in ballet class. I had so many pairs of ballet shoes that I don't know where to store all of them. Finding the right one is going to make your feet extra happy. Remember that ballet shoes might be smaller than your actual size or sometimes bigger than your actual street shoe size. I have pairs that were 2x too small that my street shoes and then the recent pair I bought is 2 sizes smaller than my actual street size. It just depends on the brand I guess. Also make sure you buy the shoe so you can test it in the store. I know I have had my mom get my shoes when I was around 13-14 years old and we ended up getting mad at each other since the shoes never fit me just right. I learned after that to always do it myself or have both of us go.  Just remember that it is your feet and they should be comfortable.

Hope you like and I hope anyone else can suggest something for starting dance!

xo
Jackie

Dance Haul

I needed to pick up some stuff so I can start dancing again so I went to the mall and decided just to get some stuff that will last me for a couple of months. Doing this really inspired me to get back into dance and is making me so excited as I look at everything. It's like it is finally real and I can begin ballet again.

Ballet Shoes | So Dance
These are the only ones that fit! (enter sad face here) The dance store I went to didn't have much stock so I had to get these ones. They are pretty tight too which is kind of bad but I had to get them for now and order another pair later. I never had a ballet slipper like this so I am curious to try it out. It is actually a size 9 and I am a size 11 but they stretch and fit my foot. The only problem I might have is the elastic is kind of tight so I might have to replace those soon.

Tights | Danskin & Body Wrappers
I cannot find my tights anywhere so I decided to just pick up more. I mean you can't have too many tights because you are always in them and you are strecthing them out all the time. I got a brown one and 2 pinks because I miss wearing the browns ones when I did tap and I am trying to do some tap in my spare time so these will be perfect. I always used Danskin since I started dance so you can say I got used to the color and fit of these pink ones. Mine never ripped or got runs but they did get loser which is normal but if I could find my old pairs in the million of boxes I have they would still probably be good.

Leg Warmers | Capezio
I never had legwarmers because I didnt have a need for them and another reason was because my mom hated them and wouldn't let me get them but now that I am older and paid for it with my own money then she can't stop me. I love the pink and they are nice and thick which I wanted. I really want to pick up ones that have the hole for the pointe shoes next.

Hair Donut | Claire's
I didnt mean to get one but I did and I am glad I did because it works around the house too. I have long curly and hard to manage hair so I can never make a perfect bun and when I was little my mom would make such an ugly bun on me that it just looked weird. With this hair donut I have kind of got a perfect bun but I still need to practice.

Bobby Pins | Dollar Store
A must to keep that perfect ballet bun in place. If I lived with my boyfriend, I know he would hate seeing them around the apartment and plus there is 200 pieces so that is alot and I bet I could lose all of them in less than a week.I hope I can keep an eye out on these because it would be a pain to buy more.

That is what I bought. I didn't get a leotard cause I had one but I might get a spare later on since I have only 1 good one and another one that is too fancy for class. I hope you enjoy my recent dance goodies. I really wanted splurge since I started again and it makes me feel good.

Also tomorrow is the day! I have counted down and finally the day of my first ballet class has come. I hope I can sleep tonight but I have a feeling I might not get much. I am just so anxious and nervous and just so many emotions are running through my mind. I will definietely tell you tomorrow about what happens

xo

Jackie