Ballet Costumes

The first ballet ever performed was called Le Ballet Comique de la reine. ( or “The queen’s ballet comedy”) and was danced in Paris, France in 1581, in the court of Queen Catherine De Médicis . Ballet has evolved and changed a lot over the years, but one main thing that has changed is what dancers wear. From their head to toes, Ballet costumes have changed alot since the first ballet was on stage. From extravigant costumes with high heeled character shoes to classical and romantic tutus with pointe shoes.

Many of the first ballets were danced in France and Italy and used very elaborate costumes. The court ballets in Italy were more developed than the ones in France. In the beginning of ballet, dancers wore extravagant costumes. Because female dancers usually wore high heeled shoes, it came as a shock when Maria Taglioni, (the most famous dancer of the romantic period), wore the first pair of pointe shoe . Taglioni also wore the first romantic tutu . Costumes and shoes depend on the Ballet . In “La Fille Mal Gardee” there is a clog dance, and in “Cinderella” the step-sisters sometimes wear high heeled character shoes . Romantic Ballets use mainly romantic tutus while classical ballets use classical tutus . Although there are many types of shoes and costumes, tutus and pointe shoes are the most common ones for Ballerinas .
The dresses then got shorter to show all of the legs. Dancers now still wear tutus for shows, but for classes dancers wear leotards and tights. They also wear practice skirts and warmups. Leotards and skirts come in many varieties of colors, patterns, and designs so you can express yourself through what you