Men's Dancewear
Whether a professional or hobbyist, dancewear is a vital part of a dancer's art. The outfit must be appropriate to the task at hand, enabling the dancer to move in a free and safe manner whilst accentuating and aiding the theme and purpose of the dance being undertaken. Though many varieties of dancewear have retained a traditional appearance, most are made from modern materials allowing them to be comfortable as well as robust. The type of men's dancewear used depends on the style of dance in question.
Ballet
Men's ballet dancewear is typically close fitting and should be purchased with particular attention to sizing. Men's ballet dancewear is often made up of tights, a dance belt, ballet slippers and a leotard or a top. An important piece of ballet dancewear is the belt, which for male ballet dancers performs the dual purpose of disguising the genital outline from the audience and other dancers, as well as protecting the genital area from accidental damage during the performance.
Ballroom and Latin
Ranging from black and white shirts and more sophisticated suits, men's ballroom and Latin dancewear tends to be flamboyant and colourful, typically decorated with extravagant designs or accessories such as sequins. They usually come in several pieces, consisting of a pair of trousers, a shirt and sometimes an overshirt or blazer. Most men's ballroom and Latin shirts come with a built in strap to ensure that the shirt doesn't become untucked.
Modern, tap and jazz
Modern styles of dance typically incorporate a wide variety of clothing types, sometimes at the same time. Tight fitting clothing beneath a looser, outer layer is not uncommon, especially in modern, tap and jazz dancewear . This clothing for this style is less easily defined as it may range from tap dancing shoes and knee pads to more contemporary dress up costumes.