Did you know that historians have recorded belly dance as the oldest dance form? It has been danced 6,000 years ago by many ancient cultures and people danced it wearing costumes. Costumes play a large role in any dance performance. It is one of the main things that separates serious dance performers from the rest. If you mean business, then you definitely need a dance costume to show for it. Read on to see just how important dance costumes are.
REASON #1: For your comfort.
Dancers need their costumes because they need to perform at their absolute best. It is very hard to be in top shape and perform when one is wearing uncomfortable clothes. This is why dancers go out of their way to create costumes that bring them comfort and ease across all endpoints. The very thing that separates a great dancer from a good dancer is execution. Fantastic execution can only be had if a dance is 100% comfortable to do and be during a performance.
REASON #2: For freedom in movement.
Costumes are highly intentional. This can be easily seen if you’d observe all the best dancers in the world. If you’d closely look at what they’re wearing – from ballroom dancers to prima ballerinas – every single costume design and cut has meaning. Every single aspect of a costume is dedicated to allowing for total freedom in movement. Dancers move. It’s what they do. So it’s important that they wear something that allows them to fully move with ease and passion.
REASON #3: For harmony in style.
A costume is always needed in any stage performance to offer harmony in style. Harmony in style is achieved if one’s costume is in agreement and in flow with the stage design or production design. This is why costume designers spend hours after hours coming up with costumes. The goal is for the dancer’s look to look unified with the set design. Harmony in set design is key to an excellent performance. If you’re looking for dance costume ideas that can fit a certain stage in mind, do click here.
REASON #4: For visual effect.
Dance costumes don’t get designed on whims. Every single aspect has a role, purpose, and function. A ballerina’s look is a certain way because all parts of it are intentional. Ballerinas wear special leotards to allow their legs full freedom when it comes to movement but they wear tutus to create a visual effect of flow and flight. This very feeling and aspect is the very thing that makes a dance performance enchanting and enthralling. Costumes are powerful and ever capable of creating visual effects that match a dancer’s move!
REASON #5: For the mood.
Costumes create a mood. This is something that you could simply understand even if you’re not a dancer yourself. Wearing white makes a person feel lighter and freer while wearing black makes a person feel solid and grounded. This is something that is also done when it comes to costumes. Dance costumes are designed to show passion, pain, excitement, sorrow, or joy!
REASON #6: To charm your audience.
A dancer can’t be said to be serious if he has no costume. A costume helps in differentiating a performer from the rest. It is the very tool that allows a dancer to catch and maintain the attention of the audience. It is a very message that says, “Look at me! I am performing! Watch me!” This message is something that a good costume can execute flawlessly.
REASON #7: To fully express your art.
A dance costume allows a performer to wholly fulfill a vision. A dancer can only move so much. It is a dancer’s costume that will bridge and complete a certain message, movement, or expression. A dance costume is essential in ensuring that one’s expression is done fully, totally, and unapologetically. Dancers with good costumes are good at fully expressing themselves.
REASON #8: To make your performance extra special.
Performance is highly dependent on the capacity, skill, passion, and talent of a performer. All performers have their own style and level of excellence and sometimes, all are equally fantastic. So much so that the very thing that differentiates them is their costume. A performer can be the best dancer in the world but still lacks in capturing the audience if he or she is not wearing the right costume. It is a dancer’s costume that can make a performance extra unique and special. It adds the final spark!
REASON #9: To add joy.
Costumes are joyful! This is why the easiest way to make a performance happy or a performer stand out is to add an excellent costume. A costume can make or break a performance because it can easily add massive amounts of joy! Costumes scream fun and celebration!
This is why costumes are carefully designed as it is important for performers to wear just the right costume to create just the right amount of joy.
REASON #10: To give confidence.
Lastly, costumes give performers the perfect amount of nerves and confidence. A good costume can easily make a person feel good and at his best. When tailored perfectly and flawlessly, it can make a performer look like an absolute star. Such a feeling is always best to have if one is going to perform. It’s impossible to make a mistake and mess around if one feels like a star. This is why dance costumes – good dance costumes, at that – are very important.
