Leotards and Tights
Your tights and Leotards will constantly be on wash especailly if you are dancing more than once a week. This means your Leotards can become faded and your tights become discouloured. This is not a good look for any dancer who is about to take thier Exam, and no parent wishes to buy a new Leotard if the next grade up is a differnt colour.
It is best to take off your leotard as soon as you can after you have finished your session and to then turn it inside out. This is to allow any moisture to evaporate rather than be trapped within the leotard. Never scrunch-up a leotard within a bag but rather gently fold it and ideally carry it in a mesh holdall bag as this will allow the air to circulate around the leotard and help dry it.
With your tights I do recomend buying convertable tights. One advantage of convertible tights is the ability to quickly pull the tights off the foot, allowing you put your socks and shoes on without transfering the dye of the shoe onto your tights! I always recomend hand washing your leotard and tights to maintaine the preseen look! Ideally dry flat and away from heat, but always avoid using clothes pegs as they weaken the fabric and leave unsightly pressure marks.
New Shoes!
I love buying a brand new pair of Dance shoes however depending on how much you use them they can look a bit tattered. Looking after your shoes can help you spend less at the dance shop! Even if you only wear your shoes ones a week.
When you buy new dance shoes (espeacilly Pointe Shoes) it is very tempting to put them away in the small plastic bag they were purchased in. This means the shoes cannot dry out sufficiently after use and may begin to prematurely decompose. Plus, you may come to put them on for your next class and they may still be damp and clammy, which means your feet aren’t receiving the best treatment either. Keep your shoes cool and dry, after having aired them after use!
As one of dancers’ main essentials, dance shoes require proper care to provide maximum support and protection for your feet, as well as meaning you can perform to the best of your ability. If you need to clean your shoes, make sure you do so depending on the shoe that needs the care.
Canvas shoes can be washed in the washing machine on a gentle wash. A shoe brush on suede, satinor character shoes will keep them clean and for Tap or Modern shoes a good shoe polish will do! I do recomend Calamining your Soft Bloc or Pointe Shoes to help maintain them to be clean. You can easily brush the dirt or aplly more Calamine.
Most importantly DO NOT wear your dance shoes outside! Not only will they get dirty, but it can damage the soles too.
