Although the
majority of people consider dancing as a hobby and not a sport, many
discussions have concluded that dance is in fact part of Physical Education and
must be included in the P.E, curriculum at school. Dancing is evolving,
especially in the majority of Europe and the USA, and has proven to be a
successful hobby and pass time. Dancing encourages children to take part in a
fun, yet active sport. Many teenage girls are encouraged to take part in ballet
and have thrived, in opposition to other sports like basketball, where they
have no interest in no matter the encouragement and push they are given. Even
boys enjoy dancing break dance for instance, and more and more boys participate
in dance classes. This upturn in dance has also pushed the dance wear industry
to its peak, as each dance requires special attire.
Children
seek a way to express themselves, and dancing lessons is one of the most
popular solutions. Just by taking a walk on the street you will witness
children dancing on the pavements in sneakers, tracksuits, sweatbands and
legwarmers. It is a fact that dance wear has received immense attention and
popularity. Dancers are no longer seen wearing gym knickers and trainers, a
whole new industry has evolved!
Dancewear
has evolved significantly over the passage of time. The industry has been
influenced by the many new dance forms that have surfaced over the years, but
also according to each dance performed dancers need to be dressed in comfort as
to allow ease in their movements. Although many features have changed over
time, some remain the same or rather similar. For instance, when viewing ballet
garments in the 1800s, although the skirts were significantly longer and the
shoes were made of satin, the focus on designing graceful attire remains. Male
ballet dance wear has more similarities than differences. For instance in the
past male ballet dancers also wore tights and long sleeved shirts, as the
majority still wear today. In the middle of the 1800s a notable designer named,
La Sylphide August Bournonville, designed ballet shoes for men with a V-shaped
vamp in order to give the illusion the foot was longer. These are still worn in
our times. The romantic tutu also surfaced around the same epoch, and although
it has evolved incredibly, whenever you think of ballet, you immediately think
of romantic tutu skirts.
Jazz wear
gained immense popularity during the late 1800s when the dance form initially
surfaced. A variety of dancewear was used, more experimental and adventurous
designs emerged, in contrast to ballet garments. Through time, designers
focused on practical clothing which accentuated the dancer’s body. Finally,
Modern dance dancewear also known as Contemporary dancewear evolved through
time. Initially, the dancewear worn resembled ballet tutus and tights, but as
time progressed the need to wear something more comfortable that does not
restrict the dancer’s movements surfaced. Baggy clothing became a new thing,
which is still visible today.
Each dance
form is accompanied with its own dancewear. Dancewear is especially designed to
aid the dancer in their movements. Famed designer Elena Papanikolaou lives by
this trend. She designs dancewear according to each dancer’s needs and style. All
her dancewear is handmade, thus making sure each garment is unique.
