Ballroom Dance Clothes

Anyone learning to ballroom dance or who's been dancing ballroom for years and years needs a nice selection of ballroom dance clothes. Both for practicing in the studio, and for performing on the dance floor, ballroom clothes are sleek, shiny, and sexy.

Depending on the type of ballroom dancing you do, there are several different styles of ballroom dancewear that may be appropriate for your performances. In general, women wear long dresses for the more traditional ballroom dances (like the waltz), and shorter ballroom dresses for dances like the samba. Of course, most dresses can go with a variety of different dance genres; in order to choose the perfect dancewear you'll have to think about your own style and the demands of your dance. A floor-length gown will not work well in a dance where you are in danger of stepping on it every two seconds.

A classic long black ballroom gown is always a safe bet. Everyone looks stunning in black, and the men are often also wearing black, so you can create a nice visual partnership by wearing black as well, for example with this beaded black gown. Beautiful and provocative shorter gowns are also worn for several types of ballroom dancing. This dress from Aida features an asymmetrical fabric line and a long, fringed skirt. This dress can make a big impression both on and off the dance floor.

While black is a color very often used in all dance clothing, including ballroom dancewear, there are options in other colors as well. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you may want to go with another color. Red is an extremely popular alternative, such as this classic, but short, red ballroom gown that will look beautiful on virtually every dancer. Of course, since red is such a popular color alternative to black, you might blend in with red as well. In order to really stand out, you'll have to choose a color such as blue or green. Purple is becoming quite popular, and yellow has already been popular for quite some time.

While performance dancewear for ballroom dancers almost always includes dresses for the ladies, practice clothing for women often includes a pair of pants. Of course, skirts and dresses are also worn to practice ballroom dancing, but practice pants like these ones with a wide flared leg are a popular look. These pants, because of their widely flared leg, give almost as much of a visual swirl as a ballroom gown.

Skirts are often a good bet for ballroom dancers, especially for samba and tango dancers. This short Aida skirt is an easy piece of practice clothing that looks good enough to wear for some performances. This black and red skirt can be pulled on over a leotard for a low key outfit or dressed up considerably with a matching top that makes it into a full-fledged performance outfit.

For practice wear, you'll also need some tops. A simple black leotard, especially one with a strappy back, is always a good option, and very economical. If you prefer a shirt to go with your practice pants or skirt, try out some of the appealing ones like this bright purple top with cascade sleeves. If a simple cut and an asymmetrical top are more your style, check out this Aida top that comes in three different colors.

While a leotard may not look fancy enough to take it from the practice studio onto the performance dance floor, these practice tops are more than fancy enough to double as performance ballroom dance clothes. These practice clothes can be dressed up with the right shade of tights, some shiny shoes, polished hair and makeup, and a few pieces of show jewelry.

With all this appropriate dancewear, you'll have to be sure to learn plenty of ballroom dance steps. If you need more inspiration on ballroom dancewear, check out this slideshow of ballroom dance pictures to get some excellent ideas.

• Photos of Ballet Dancers
• Dance Studio Equipment
• Pictures of Limbo Dancing

• Dance Steps to Thriller
• Popular Line Dances
• Famous Choreographers
• Country Line Dance Steps
• Famous Ballet Dancers