Ballet Costumes
From Bulky Peticoats to Dazzling Dresses!

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At first, in Europe, the ballet dance costumes were rich and flowing. They were very extravagant.

They had a heavy brocade on the cloth, ornaments and huge head-pieces. The costumes made the dancer's movements very limited.

Therefore, in the eighteenth century some of the female dancers decided to do something about it...

In the eighteenth century a ballerina called Marie Camargo shocked her audience.

A ballerina called Marie Salle also shocked her audience.

She got rid of bulky petticoats. Instead, she performed in a slightly flimsy muslin dress.

These adjustments of the costumes let the audience appreciate more.

The female dancers were no longer hidden beneath their costumes, they were unraveling to become more free.

Marie Camargo

In the later eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, ballet techniques changed a lot because of the costumes.

The female ballerinas wore calf length white skirts. Male dancers wore tights with short jackets and long-sleeved shirts.

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The classical ballet costume let dancers have even more freedom.

It's not just the ballet costumes that have changed a lot through the centuries.

Everything a ballet dancer wears from ballet class to performance has become different.

Ballet dancers are always on the go. It's important to think about ballet dance clothing to wear in between class and performances.

A lot of professional ballet dancers wear ballet clothes that look very snug.

Therefore, it's great you can get so many different types of ballet wear these days.

There are also so many beautiful ballet dresses you see ballerinas wearing.

The ballerinas look so glamorous.

In performances today the costumes are spectacular.

For example, the Nutcracker ballet costumes really enhance the whole atmosphere and dancing.

The costumes are all part of the excitement of being a ballet dancer.

You feel a million dollars in every performance!

Photo: Erik Tomasson © SF Ballet ©. Source: Voiceofdance.com




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