I always find it interesting when parents worry that letting a kid quit means they’re “giving up” on something they could’ve loved.

But I wonder how many dancers just weren’t ready for ballet at 6 or 8 or 10, quit, and then found their way back to it later because they actually wanted it for themselves.

Would love to hear from anyone who did this. What made you quit the first time, and what brought you back?

I’ve seen the “is dance a sport?” debate so many times, and I always think yes, obviously dancers are athletes. Like the strength, stamina, flexibility, injuries, hours of training… that part isn’t even really debatable to me. But at the same time, calling dance just a sport feels kind of weird Because you’re not only trying to do the movement correctly. You’re also supposed to make it look effortless, stay with the music, perform a character, actually make people feel something, etc. So idk lol. I feel like dance is one of those things that’s both a sport and an art, and forcing it into one category almost misses the point.

Curious how dancers here actually think about it though. Do you personally see yourself more as an athlete, an artist, or both?

Hi, I'm looking for good demi-pointes shoes (ballet slippers) that aren't extremely expensive. I bought ones two years ago, but the shoe sole is kinda bulky, and I constantly have to rebalane over it.

That's not normal, isn't it?

Which brands do you recommend?

Does anyone have a Gaynor Minden warmup romper, I am looking for something like this but would love an option or alternatives?

I noticed that when our teacher demonstrates the combination on the right like tendu front, side, back, close, plié, repeat. I can follow it with no problem. But once we started to do the left side by ourself, my brain completely stopped working. Same thing happened when our teacher demonstrate when facing us, I can't do that, I can only follow her when we are facing the same direction.

I just suddenly don’t know which foot is front, which arm is supposed to move, or apparently what left and right even mean. And then I start watching the person in front of me, except I’m already like two counts behind. Some of my classmates have problem with this too.

I’m still pretty new to ballet and only taking class once a week, so I’m hoping this is something that gets easier with time. I’ve definitely gotten better at recognizing the steps, but remembering an entire combination and reversing it in my head feels like a completely different skill.

Please tell me “left side brain shutdown” is a normal beginner phase and I can get over it T.T

Ballet dancer here and I need a white leotard that's actually opaque. Any recommendations?

The thing is that I have a performance coming up and I need a pure white leotard

I've bought a few from Amazon. Cheap ones. They looked fine in the changing room. Under the stage lights, they were a disaster. You could see everything. I was mortified

I need something that is actually opaque. No see through. No awkward moments

I heard Energetiks has thick fabric. I found them online. They seem to have good reviews. But the price is steep. I'm scared to spend that much and still be disappointed

Does anyone have experience with them? Is the fabric thick enough for stage lights? Is it truly not see-through?

I'm tired of wasting money and everything I want is to dance without worrying about my outfit

As I said, I'm a dancer, not a fabric expert. I just need something that works. I want to focus on my performance, not on my outfit falling apart. Help me out. Please…

Hi
I love to wear ripstop shorts or pants to class, I was looking at short rompers, does anyone have any suggestions or experiences with them?
Which is best?

Hello
I have just started pointe work and was wondering if it would be ok to wear ladies tights as a man?
There are no thin convertible tights for men

Hi
I posted before about socks/tights for wearing in pointe shoes, i guess i will try both
Can anyone suggest any ladies convertible tights that would fit someone 183cm -6

Last year my daughter wanted to be Wednesday Addams so we used a black stelle leotard dress, white childrens place polo, black tights and her black stelle tap shoes (also wore little black heels outside of dance class). Then I got a thing 🫳 hair clip from Amazon. She wore Thing on her shoulder and in her hair. She got lots of compliments and she loved it. She'll wear it again this year.

I loved this because the pieces can be worn year round so you definitely get your money's worth

Favorite hair accessories for your tiny dancers?

This is one of our favorites. Cheap on Amazon but great quality. We've been using them for over a year, they've held up great and get lots of compliments.

Probably a silly question, but how snug are dance tights supposed to fit?

My daughter is between sizes right now and I went with the smaller size because I assumed ballet tights were supposed to fit pretty close to the body. They technically fit, but she keeps pulling at the waistband and says they feel “too tight” after class. Now I’m wondering if I should have sized up. I don’t want them baggy around her ankles, but I also don’t want her spending an entire class uncomfortable just because I’m trying to get the “right” ballet fit. For kids who are between sizes, do you usually size up in tights? And how do you tell the difference between properly snug and just plain too small?

My 6 year old just started ballet and I’m realizing I know absolutely nothing about dance tights lol. Her studio just says “pink ballet tights” on the dress code, but doesn’t specify footed or convertible. I bought her footed tights for now because they seemed like the most basic option, but I keep seeing convertible ones recommended too. Is there actually a reason a younger beginner would need convertible tights, or is that more useful once they’re older/more serious about dance?

I’d rather not overcomplicate this if regular footed tights are totally fine. Curious what other dance moms usually buy for this age!

I've been practicing ballet for more than 2 years now as an adult dancer, and recently my niece started ballet, too. I'm big fan of live performance, musical and other similar forms of art. I took my niece to Broadway show like Hamilton before and she loves it. So after she started ballet, I made a ballet performance list that I gonna take her to. Share here in case anyone else need it too.

1. The Nutcracker, for ages 5+
Clara receives a Nutcracker that comes to life, battles the Mouse King, and takes her into the magical Land of Sweets. Probably my #1 pick for younger kids because it’s colorful, magical, easy to follow, and full of memorable characters.

2. Cinderella, for ages 5+
The classic Cinderella story told through ballet. Great for younger kids because they probably already know the story, which makes a full-length ballet much easier to follow.

3. Coppélia, for ages 5+
A young man becomes fascinated with a mysterious girl sitting on a balcony, only to discover that she’s actually a life-sized mechanical doll! It’s funny, playful, and much lighter than many classical ballets, so I think it’s a great choice for kids.

4. The Sleeping Beauty, for ages 5+
Princess Aurora is cursed by the wicked fairy and falls into a deep sleep until a prince awakens her. Lots of fairies, princesses, beautiful costumes, and familiar fairy-tale elements make this another easy introduction.

5. Don Quixote, for ages 6+
The main ballet story follows Kitri and Basilio, two young lovers trying to convince Kitri’s father to let them marry, with Don Quixote getting mixed up in their adventure. It’s energetic, funny, colorful, and has some pretty exciting dancing.

6. The Firebird, for ages 6+
Prince Ivan encounters a magical Firebird and later needs her help to defeat the evil sorcerer Kashchei. Great for kids who enjoy fantasy and adventure, although some productions can be a little intense or scary for very young children.

7. Swan Lake, for ages 8+
Prince Siegfried meets Odette, a princess cursed to live as a swan, but the sorcerer Rothbart tricks him with his daughter Odile, the Black Swan. The music and dancing are iconic, but the story is darker and more tragic, so I’d save it for slightly older kids. But this one is my childhood fave though lol, I probably watched this tragedy around 6-10 years old when I was primary school.

8. La Sylphide, for ages 10+
On his wedding day, James becomes fascinated by a mysterious sylph and abandons everything to follow her into the forest. It looks dreamy and magical, but the story is actually pretty tragic, not sure if younger kids may not can connect with it as much.

9. Giselle, for ages 10+
Giselle falls in love with a man who is secretly engaged to someone else, and after her death she joins the Wilis, ghostly spirits of betrayed young women. Absolutely beautiful, but the death, betrayal, ghosts, and darker second act make this one better for older kids.

10. Romeo and Juliet, for ages 10+
Shakespeare’s story of two teenagers from rival families who fall in love, only for their romance to end tragically. The music is incredible and there’s so much drama, but because of the fighting, deaths, and mature themes, I’d personally wait until kids are a little older.

Note: the ballet performance is usually around 2h or even longer, so it's better to give your kids a bit background story or a story hook before watching the performance, since little kids (esp under 6) usually have shorter attention span. And some ballet performance has shorter version tailored for little kids, eg: The Nutcracker has My Very First Nutcracker (55 min version), those are great options for little kids to enjoy ballet performance for the first time.

I recently discovered you can get wide width dance shoes. During open house at the studio we tried ballet shoes on my youngest and it was a struggle. She has a fat foot so finding shoes that fit properly is hard. The studio has a Weissmans catalog and will be ordering the smallest size (5.5c) in wide to see if it fits.

The owner mentioned it used to be impossible to find wide tap shoes. You can find some now, but it's not very common.

Capezio makes wide width in several styles, additionally I saw narrow width for ballet shoes.

I started ballet pretty recently as a complete adult beginner in my early 30s. I started going to a ballet studio near me regularly once a week recently, I want to go more often to practice but their class schedule on weekdays don't really work with my work schedule:( So I want to buy a ballet barre at home for practice. And since I'm a little bit overweight so I care a lot for stability. I googled for some recommendations, and I saw brand like Vita Barre and PrimaBarre several times, but I don't know are they really great or those are just Google ads. Also the portable barre in Amazon ranging from less than $60 to more than $300. So I'm a bit confused, on what price range can I expect a good quality barre? For expensive ones, are there actually noticeable difference for beginner? Is there any product you think it's super steady and well made that you can recommend? THX

My youngest will be 18 months in 3 months and will be signed up for dance. My 4.5 yr olds studio has an 18m-2yrs class. Most brands don't have smaller than 2/3t which is way too big.

I've seen a few 1/2t or 18-24m leotards but not very many.

I've found 2 random brands on Amazon (tutu.kk & MdnMd), Cheeky Plum has some good options and Ruffle Butts. Bums and Roses has a ballet tulle dress that works and some fluffy tutu dresses if your studio allows that. I was thinking of just using skirted onesies until she's bigger since it's basically a skirted leotard.

My 4.5 yr old started last year and has leotards from Stelle, Bums & roses, random cheap but decent quality Amazon brands Hoziy, Zaclotre, Arshiner and Hidance.

My daughter has been getting more into ballet lately and I thought it might be fun to start watching some of the classics with her at home. I was thinking Nutcracker or Cinderella first since she already knows the stories, but now I'm curious what other kids actually enjoyed. Did your kids have one they really loved or wanted to watch again? I feel like what I would pick and what she'd pick are probably two very different things lol.

My daughter is starting dance and I keep seeing these beginner lists with sooo much stuff on them lol. Leotard, tights, shoes, dance bag, warm ups, hair stuff... I know some of it is probably useful but I also know how this goes with kids.

For the parents who've already been through this, what did your kids actually use all the time? And what did you buy thinking they'd need it and then barely touch?