What do boys and men wear to ballet class? The dress code for boys at Geiger includes the following: "Black tights or running pants with a white, tucked in T-shirt and a dance belt. White ballet shoes with white socks." There is no dress code for men in the Open Level classes. However, we ask that you wear traditional dance attire. Generally in ballet, men wear a T-shirt or dance shirt or leotard and tights. They can also wear a unitard or biketard. Available dancewear is rather limited to male dancers as compared to female dancers. If you have difficulty locating dancewear at area stores, check our list of links to stores on the internet. Stores that carry dancewear for males (boys and/or men) are noted. Also check www.cyberdance.org for a much larger listing of stores. Keep in mind, that dancewear is considered unisex for both boys and men. So a pair of tights sold as "child" or "girls" size will fit both girls and boys. While tights or a leotard marketed as "adult" or "women", will fit women and men. Be aware of sheer women's tights sold in department stores, etc., as they maybe see through and shinny. Dancewear made for men is thicker and stronger than unisex or women's tights. If your tall and not finding long enough tights, look for the M.Stevens brand. As an example, their footed tights in XL can fit an inseam over 38". One internet store that carries them is Tutu.Com's - Get the Pointe Dancewear. Another option is to try custom tights, Renaissance Dancewear sells a variety of custom dancewear for men. If a T-shirt or dance shirt is worn, it's tucked into the tights. (A "dance shirt" is sold by some dancewear stores and is generally a cotton/lycra shirt, so it fits snuggly around the body. If a leotard is worn, it's worn underneath the tights. A leotard can have the normal full bottom or a thong back model. The traditional colors in ballet are a white top and black bottom. A "dance belt" is a male dancers version of an athletic supporter and is worn instead of underwear. It fits tighter than an athletic supporter and has a thong back, although there are full bottom dance belts available. A boy starts wearing a dance belt around the same time as he does an athletic support for use in sports. A dance belt appears invisible under tights, to avoid ugly lines. Underwear should never be worn in ballet, as it doesn't offer the required support and protection. Plus, underwear can be seen under tights and other close fitting clothing. Ballet is about clean lines, not seeing undergarments. Dance belts may be hard to find for young boys, in which case you may ask the teacher about an alternative such as "Boy's briefs" for dancing. Made of cotton with Lycra and sold by Dance Choice. If a male dancer wears socks, look for thin ones with lycra or some other material that makes them thinner and close fitting. Prima Soft sells thin socks that are actually the same material as tights, sold as Footights. Ballet shoes are worn snug, not loose like street shoes. When getting fit for ballet shoes, it's a good idea to wear your tights underneath your clothes to the store. Wear or put on (in the store) the socks you will be wearing to class when trying on shoes. This way you will get shoes that fit properly. If your new to ballet, have your ballet teacher check the fit of the shoes while still new, in case they need to be exchanged. NEW TO BALLET? If your an adult, and would like to try ballet, you can start at any age. (However, if you want to go pro., that, as a rule, requires you start training as a boy.) If your looking to improve your health, want a different form of exercise, and move to dance in a new way, ballet can be addicting. Ballet can help you improve in numerous sports and this applies to boys as well. Various US pro football teams take ballet to improve their game. Boys & men, if your worried about having to wear tights to class, keep the following in mind: Wrestling teams wear a singlet, in the dance world that's called a biketard. Tights are also sold to them. (e.g. Dick Pond Athletics). Track/Runners/Joggers/Baseball/Football/Basketball/Workout - guys wear footless tights. Check local ad's for sporting goods stores to find tights marketed to boys & men for these activities. Football players may wear spandex as a part of their uniform, otherwise known as a form of tights. Swimmers wear "Jammers" known to bike riders as "bike shorts", a short version of tights. Various sports - guys may wear "compression shorts" or some other variation of "bike shorts". Gymnastics - guys wear a "competition shirt", in the dance world it's known as a thong-back leotard. (Refer to: GK Elite Sportswear). COMPETITON SHIRT/TUNIC Discount Leotards ANTRON/LYCRA COMPETITON PANTS Discount Leotards Biking (serious) - wear bike shorts, biketards, even unitards and tights depending on the weather. Some years ago, it was the fashion for boys & girls in the USA to wear bike shorts instead of normal shorts for playing in. And all of these sports and more wear this clothing in competition, in front of huge crowds. Some even on cable TV (local elementary/middle/high schools) and professional (local/state/national/international TV). Meanwhile, your in a dance studio with what, ten or twenty females and males interested in the same thing you are. If your looking for other boys and men into ballet, a very good site is Danceart.com. The site offers message boards where you can post (write) messages on various topics, including: Men in Dance, and Guys' Club (teens). This is a good place if your curious about trying ballet, new to it, been taking classes for years or a professional. For parents, this site is moderated, family friendly and includes message boards for parents as well. Back to Info. page...