Youth Dress Code

Dancers & Dreamers (2-5yrs)

• Dance with Me: Comfortable, stretchy clothing that allows free movement — a leotard and ballet skirt are welcome, along with leggings or soft shorts and a t-shirt. Please, no dresses or structured clothing. Hair can be kept away from the face with a simple clip or soft headband if needed. Class will be taken barefoot. Parents can wear anything they are comfortable moving in. 
• Classic Combo: Girls: Solid color leotard worn with either pink or black tights. Black tap shoes and pink ballet shoes. Ballet skirts, tutus, and leg warmers are permitted, but may be asked to be removed if they’re distracting to the dancer. Hair must be pulled back away from the face in a bun; bun holders and bows are permitted.
  Boys: Solid color white or black shirt with black leggings or dance pants. Black tap shoes and pink or black ballet shoes. Hair should be kept neat and away from the face.
• Pre-Ballet:
  Girls: Solid color leotard worn with either pink or black tights and pink ballet shoes. Ballet skirts, tutus, and leg warmers are permitted, but may be asked to be removed if they’re distracting to the dancer. Hair must be pulled back away from the face in a bun; bun holders and bows are permitted.
  Boys: Solid color white or black shirt with black leggings or dance pants and pink ballet shoes. Hair should be kept neat and away from the face
• Pre-Acro/Hip Hop or Pre-Jazz
  Fitted active clothing (shirt/ tank top and leggings/ shorts) or a unitard. Tights or bike shorts must be worn under all loose fitting shorts. Keep in mind there will be tumbling. Hair is to be pulled away from the face in a ponytail or bun. A leotard and tights are also permitted. No skirts, dresses, or street pants will be allowed. Class will be taken barefoot. 

Ballet  

• View entire Ballet Class dress code and policies HERE.

Jazz

• Jazz (11 & Under): Solid colored active tops or crop tops and dance shorts or leggings. Jazz pants may be worn if they are tight around the knees and ankles. Caramel colored jazz shoes. Hair must be pulled away from the face. No oversized T-shirts, tank tops, camisole tops, athletic shorts, or loose pants are permitted in class beyond warm up. 
• Jazz (12+): Solid colored active tops or crop tops and dance shorts or leggings. Jazz pants may be worn if they are tight around the knees and ankles. Caramel colored jazz shoes. Warm Ups are encouraged during the conditioning/warm up portion of the class but are not permitted after.

Tap:

• Beginner Tap (11 & Under): Solid colored form-fitting active top or t-shirt and active shorts, pants, or leggings. Lace-up tap shoes. Active wear Pants may be worn if they are fitted around the knees. Black lace-up tap shoes. Hair must be pulled away from the face.
• Upper-Level Tap (12+): Solid colored form-fitting active top or t-shirt and active shorts, pants, or leggings. Active wear pants may be worn if they are fitted around the knees. Black lace-up tap shoes. Hair must be pulled away from the face.

Lyrical/Contemporary

• Dancers should be barefoot or socks may be worn on marley floor with instructor approval. Hair must be pulled away from the face. No oversized T-shirts, tank-tops, camisole tops, athletic shorts, or loose pants are permitted in class after the warm up period, unless instructor specifically permits baggy layers for stylistic reasons. For some classes, the instructor might request pants, long sleeve shirts, and knee pads for floorwork.

Hip Hop

• Comfortable street clothes or athletic wear. No dresses or skirts. Students are required to wear studio-safe sneakers that are clean, reserved exclusively for class, and have non-marking soles. Absolutely no street shoes will be permitted in class if they are dirty or not reserved exclusively for dance class, as outside dirt and debris cause flooring damage.

  
  *Non-marking soles are typically white, gray, or clear rubber and won’t leave scuff marks on the floor — most athletic shoe brands label this on the box or shoe tag. Black rubber soles almost always mark unless noted otherwise. Look for “non-marking” printed on the sole or the interior label — many athletic brands note this directly on the shoe, and shoes marketed for indoor court sports (basketball, volleyball) are usually non-marking. If the shoe isn’t labeled, a quick test of rubbing the sole on a piece of white paper can help you determine this- if it leaves a mark, it’s not non-marking and won’t be permitted.

Acro/Aerial

• Solid colored leotard or tight fitting shirt or tank top and dance shorts. Hair must be pulled away from the face in a secure ponytail. No T-shirts, athletic shorts, or loose pants are permitted in class. NO JEWELRY.

Conditioning and Flexibility classes (including Pilates and Yoga)

• Tight-fitting exercise clothes such as fitted bike shorts or leggings and active top. Hair must be pulled back out of face. No loose-fitting shorts are permitted unless they are layered appropriately. Warm-ups are encouraged in cooler months and may be required at teachers discretion for the beginning of class.  A personal pilates/yoga mat is suggested.

Ballroom

• Females: Leotard, Latin skirt above the knees, or dance dress. Hair must be pulled away from the face in a secure ponytail or dance bun. Jazz shoes will be fine for the first month, then Latin shoes will be required. Latin shoes girls ages 7-11 Cuban heel, girls ages 12-13 1.5″ junior heel, girls ages 14+ 2″ IDS heel. The shoe should feel like a glove on a foot. If the child’s foot is wide, please contact the instructor for the further instructions.
• Males: Black dance trousers, tight shirt or t-shirt. Black shoes with a Cuban heel will be required. The shoe should feel like a glove on a foot. 

*A NOTE ABOUT CROP TOPS, DANCE SHORTS, and WARM UP ATTIRE:

In order for teachers to appropriately monitor the movement development of a dancer, form fitting clothing is required for most classes.  However, it is exceptionally important that a dancer’s attire allow him/her to focus exclusively on movement and not clothing coverage. For this reason, we prefer crop tops only be worn in conjunction with high-waisted dance shorts/pants and dance shorts must be worn with tights underneath if an inseam of 1.5″.  No bra-tops are allowed or any top in which the dancer’s belly button is visible.

We require that students wear warm-up attire and cover up to and from dance class.

• Proper class attire (see Dress Code above). Adherence to all proper shoe requirements in all genres. Students will be asked to observe and take notes if dress code is not followed. 
• Respect for the teacher and fellow student.
• Teachers reserve the right to dismiss any student who disturbs the class at any time.
• BDS is not responsible for stolen or lost property. (Label ALL dancewear and shoes with your child’s name)
• Cell phones are not permitted in the dance rooms unless they are turned off or in airplane mode.
• No food, drinks (other than water in a self-sealing water bottle), or gum is allowed in the studio.
• No hanging, climbing, sitting or leaning on ballet barre(s) and no hanging clothes/bags on the barre(s)
• If you must leave early from class, please inform your instructor before class begins and politely dismiss yourself when needed.
• No talking during class, unless asking the instructor a question or responding to a question the instructor asked.
• Respect your classmates. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
• If you are injured, inform your instructor before class begins. If you must sit out, bring a notebook and pen to take notes throughout the class. If a dancer chooses to sit due to injury, he/she will not be allowed to return to dancing in class until the doctor clears the dancer to rejoin the class (this is to prevent any further injuries).
• Raise your hand to ask questions, and wait to be called on.
• Belongings will be stored off the floor during class, preferably in cubbies when available.
• Parents must pick up their child on time. The 5-minute window between classes is reserved for instructor transition, and unfortunately not supervision — instructors are not responsible for students after class concludes. Students ages 2-5 who have not been picked up will be escorted to the front desk to wait with the administrative staff in the event that a parent is late for pickup. 
• Dancers will keep a positive attitude toward their work, peers and instructor.

Additional Ballet Class Etiquette can be found here.