Code of Conduct: How a Dress Code Can Help Your Studio Run Smoothly
This time of year, parents everywhere are filling dance bags with new leotards, tights, ballet shoes, leg warmers and all the other accoutrements necessary for dance class. Many parents will undoubtedly wonder why their child requires so much dancewear—not to mention the costumes that come later in the year. Dress codes, adopted by dance studios large and small, may be partially to blame.
But when you talk with dance teachers and studio owners, it’s clear that dress codes do much more than give parents headaches. By helping students cultivate discipline, allowing teachers to see a dancer’s alignment, preparing a dancer for competition and setting the right mood for class, a dress code is an invaluable tool for any good dance teacher. However, if you don’t set and enforce your dress code appropriately, it might turn into your worst nightmare.
A Tool for Success
Above all, a dress code ensures that teachers will be able to see the dancer’s alignment and positioning. As Phyllis Balagna-Demoret, director of Steppin’ Out in Lee’s Summit, MO, said, “If we can’t see it, we can’t correct it.” Teachers agree that if a student’s hip is raised in arabesque, for example, baggy sweatpants can mask the bad habit and make corrections impossible. For this reason, most studios require students to wear leotards and tights for ballet, sometimes the traditional black and pink, and form-fitting dancewear in jazz or modern class.
Fitted dancewear also goes a long ways towards raising body awareness among young dancers. At XD2 in Dallas, Texas, artistic director Melissa Glasgow requires that company members wear a sports bra or half top, Lycra/spandex shorts and tights in all classes, except ballet, where students wear black leotards and pink or black tights. “My biggest priority with the dress code is to help dancers get accustomed to their bodies in revealing attire prior to competition,” said Glasgow. “And, ideally, they become a little more aware of their physique.” The right clothes can also help dancers to “dress the part.” Many studios encourage more flexibility in hip-hop or tap class, where students are allowed to wear t-shirts, sweat pants, baggy shorts, sneakers and baseball caps. At Chesterfield Dance Center in Richmond, VA, director Carrie Hughes tells her students to “wear anything that makes you feel funky.”
If implemented well, a dress code will teach students discipline and keep their minds on dancing. “Dress code can help with overall focus, energy and direction of a class,” remarked Lynne Patton, director of Rocky Mountain School of Dance outside Denver, CO. “It promotes discipline and creates a unity among the dancers. Dancers aren’t paying attention to who has the stylish leotard or cool new skirt.” As with school uniforms, a dress code can help minimize distractions while giving your class a uniformed look.
This uniformed look can make it easier to “clean” a dance number, according to Jimmy Peters, artistic director of Temecula Dance Company near San Diego, CA—especially when it involves unison dancing. “When students are all dressed the same, if someone is out of line, you see it right away. If they’re all wearing different colors and styles, your eye has to fight through all of that before you can see imperfections.” For this reason, he asks that his dancers dress uniformly in rehearsals. Not only does this trick work well in preparing for competition, but Peters, who works on the set of “America’s Got Talent,” also uses it to clean dancers for television.
When to Ease Up
Although dress codes are helpful tools for many dance studios, if they are overemphasized or inappropriate, it can certainly backfire. While many studios and conservatories insist upon the traditional black and pink attire for ballet, Balagna-Demoret feels that this stifles her dancers. “I still want my dancers to maintain individuality—they need that when they perform.” Although she agreed that uniformity helps teachers give corrections, she would rather see her dancers express themselves as individuals. Thus, she takes a more lenient approach to her studio’s dress code.
Many studio owners take parents’ financial constraints into consideration when creating a dress code. Lynne Patton recalled a heartbreaking experience that changed her attitude towards dress codes. One of her students wore blue jeans to ballet class twice and, when pulled aside and confronted, admitted that her family had to leave their home and were living in a hotel, thus she couldn’t find her dance clothes. While Lynne maintains a dress code at her studio, she also keeps things in perspective. “It is easy to get wrapped up in the drive for excellence. It is extremely important to have high expectations for your students, however it is important to recognize that they are, after all, children. Our goal should be to help them through their childhood no matter what they are wearing.”
Tips for Teachers
• Use Uniformed Dancewear to Clean a Unison Number Have your students wear all black on choreography rehearsal days, as Lynne Patton does, so that it is easier for the teacher to recognize areas that need attention. Jimmy Peters has his competition dancers wear black leotards and tan tights during rehearsals. Ultimately, the costumes may each be different, as they were when Peters’ dancers wore 80 different can-can skirts for his rendition of “Moulin Rouge.” But, if everyone dresses the same during rehearsals, “you can instantly see who’s different and fix it.” Of course, always allow plenty of time for dress rehearsals so that you can see how the costumes are working.
• Reinforce Your Dress Code With Rewards and Consequences At XD2, Melissa Glasgow rewards her dancers, especially the younger ones, if they follow the dress code. Likewise, dancers who don’t follow the rules are punished with crunches and push-ups. Phyllis Balagna-Demoret sends her students to call their parents if they show up in class without tights on. Whatever the consequences, remember that a dress code is a rule like any other and has to be enforced if you want it to work.
• Encourage Older Students To Be Role Models Anyone who has stepped foot into a dance studio knows that young children idolize the older dancers. Whatever the older dancers do, the young ones are sure to follow. When enforcing a dress code, explain to your older students that they are setting an example for the entire studio. Often, once dancers reach the age of 13 or 14, they assume the rules don’t apply to them, and a dress code can turn into an ongoing battle. At Phyllis Balagna-Demoret’s studio, a parent of a younger dancer complained that she couldn’t get her child to abide by the dress code when she saw the older dancers wearing baggy pants and soccer shorts. This prompted Phyllis to meet with her older students and explain how important they are as role models. All of her company members made the commitment to set a good example, and two students left the studio to put on tights. As Phyllis commented, “The discipline has to start with the older kids.”
• Choose Times When Students Can Express Themselves Whether it’s tap, lyrical, musical theatre or hip-hop, students need to express their individuality. By easing up on the dress code during a few classes, you’ll give your students the freedom to convey their unique personalities. Also keep in mind that what you’re wearing can help facilitate the style of dance you’re doing. After all, most of us would feel out of place popping and locking in a black leotard and pink tights. While Jimmy Peters refrains from saying “you have to look the part,” he admits that the right attire can help a “novice dancer feel they are doing a particular style.”
• Set Expectations Early When it comes to dealing with parents, be sure to explain your reasoning behind a dress code and set your expectations early. If you establish guidelines up front—and stick to them—parents will ultimately show more support. It’s a good idea to arrange parent meetings, especially with company or competition dancers, early in the year so that everyone has the dress code in writing and has time to prepare for it. Phyllis Balagna-Demoret holds parent meetings in August at her studio and finds that it helps with parent cooperation.
• A Dress Code Should Reflect Your Studio’s Vision Above all, a dress code should help to create an image for your studio. If your studio concentrates on competition, recreation or preparing students for conservatory training, this focus should be apparent in your dress code. “A dress code should be in line with a studio’s mission and vision,” as it is in Lynne Patton’s studio. “If a studio is recreational, the dress code should be more relaxed.” Remember to set your dress code in accordance with your studio’s focus, otherwise it will be difficult to implement.